Wigan Athletic are being linked with a move for Glasgow Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra. The 26-year-old Algerian international is rumoured to valued at around £5 million with French champions Bordeaux also in the hunt.

However Laurent Blanc’s side could possibly have the upper hand in the chase due to the fact that they will be playing in the Champions League next season and Bougherra reportedly turned down a move to West Brom last summer to join Walter Smith at Ibrox with the lure of European football quoted as the reason for the snub.

Charlton recouped the £2.5 million they had outlayed for his services when he joined them at The Valley only 18 months earlier from Sheffield Wednesday – who in turn had made a healthy profit on the French born defender after little more than six months.

Bougherra joined Wednesday from French outfit FC Guegnon for a nominal fee of £300,000 in May 2006 after he had impressed whilst on loan at Crewe – where he had become a fans favourite.

Madjid made a total of 39 appearances for Rangers last season with one goal to his credit and was seen as a steadying influence at the back after the Scottish SPL side lost Carlos Cuellar to Aston Villa but now appears to have become surplus to requirements if stories are to be believed.