Morelos distracted by speculation, says Rangers boss Gerrard

(Reuters) - Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos has been distracted by transfer talk but the Colombian must stay focused, manager Steven Gerrard said after Thursday's 1-0 defeat by Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League.

The 24-year-old, who has been linked with a move to Ligue 1 side Lille, struggled to make an impact as Rangers' European campaign came to an end in the last-16 following a 4-1 aggregate loss to the Bundesliga club.

"Everyone knows Alfredo has had his head turned," Gerrard told BT Sport. "There is no denying that. We just move forward and my focus is on the team and the players that want to be here.

"If a bid comes that the board likes and the player tells me face-to-face he wants to go, then we'll see what happens. He's professional enough to block the noise out. He hasn't had the best of games tonight but we haven't as a team either.

"There's no finger pointing tonight on anyone's performance but Alfredo needs to remain focused."

Rangers signed Switzerland striker Cedric Itten and English forward Kemar Roofe this week, bolstering speculation Morelos is set to depart.

(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)