THE ‘noise’ - as Steven Gerrard put it on Friday - around Alfredo Morelos has reached a crescendo a couple of times this summer.
And the Rangers boss will surely be relieved when, one way or another, the decibels either reduce to a more manageable level or quieten down altogether at Ibrox.
There have been signs in recent weeks that Gerrard is becoming frustrated with all the talk and the questions surrounding Morelos, his future and potential suitors.
Indeed, after the friendly win over Derby County a fortnight ago, Gerrard said he would do everything he could to put Morelos in front of the cameras and tape recorders and let him face the queries for himself.
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Morelos isn’t a fluent English speaker and it would be understandable if the Colombian didn’t feel comfortable in the press conference environment.
But there have been times, like during the January trip to Tenerife or in Vilamoura for Rangers’ pre-season training camp, where the atmosphere would have been more relaxed and Morelos could have conducted a rare interview, perhaps with the help of friend, and now former team-mate, Daniel Candeias.
The ‘Soy Alfredo’ documentary that Rangers produced towards the end of last season gave supporters an insight into his upbringing and career and gave a greater understanding of what drives him personally and professionally. It was excellently done and much needed as a voice and a story was attached to the face and public persona.
Only time will tell whether Morelos is ever made available for interview and given the chance to address his future in Light Blue.
Gerrard and Gers fans would be delighted if he committed himself to the cause and vowed to give his all for the coming campaign to aid the bid for silverware this term.
But even if he admitted that he wanted to move on from Ibrox, there would be no shock to the revelation.
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Morelos will leave Rangers but it is a matter of when and for how much.
Until that point, Gerrard needs him to continue doing what he does best and scoring the goals to help Rangers in their Premiership title challenge and take them through another two qualifying rounds into the Europa League group stages.
Ahead of the tie with St Joseph’s in Gibraltar last month, Gerrard warned interested parties that they had to move sooner rather than later if they wanted to land his prized asset during this window.
A bid of around £15million could be enough to tempt Rangers into doing business but the closer the clock ticks to deadline day the more difficult the situation becomes.
There is no financial pressure on Gerrard to sanction a sale and Rangers don’t need to cash in.
Morelos can only be let go if a suitable replacement can come in and hit the ground running and 30 goal-a-season strikers aren’t exactly easy, or cheap, to come by.
The likes of West Ham, Frankfurt and AC Milan have had a look at Morelos. Until an offer is put on the table, there is little more that Gerrard can say and nothing that Rangers can do.
Stories of a potential move to China last week created quite a din but were immediately dismissed by the Gers and Gerrard later criticised the ‘nonsense and speculation’ that he said wasn’t helping Morelos.
There will be many people that have a vested financial interest in the 22-year-old’s future and he himself has to be careful about who he listens to and what advice he takes at such a crucial stage of his career.
Talk of multi-million moves and switches to more illustrious leagues would clearly turn the heads of most players but Morelos will only get the biggest move possible if he continues to prove his talents and show he has learned from the costly disciplinary mistakes from last season.
Right now, Rangers need him to do his talking on the park.
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