Rangers may have just taken another step towards the signing of Jose Cifuentes as MLS outfit Los Angeles FC bring in a potential replacement in Filip Krastev.
When confirming Krastev’s arrival in so-called City that Never Sleeps on Wednesday, LAFC’s co-president and general manager John Thorrington described the Bulgaria international as an ‘incredibly talented midfielder’ boasting ‘dynamic qualities and technical ability’.
It is probably no coincidence that those ‘qualities’ are the very same ones that made Jose Cifuentes such a key player at the BMO Stadium.
Rangers, according to The Athletic, are now ‘finalising’ a deal for LAFC’s all-action Ecuadorian. One of Scottish football’s most long-running summer sagas, Cifuentes has already agreed to join Rangers. He reportedly underwent medical tests last night, according to reports from his home country.
Rangers on verge of Jose Cifuentes signing
And while Thorrington did not confirm whether or not Krastev would take Cifuentes’ place in the heart of the LAFC engine room, his energy, versatility and drive from the centre of the park certainly marks the 21-year-old out as a readymade successor for arguably the most intriguing signing of the Mick Beale era so far.
“Cifu is an incredibly talented player,” explains LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo. “The sky is the limit for him. He is a complete player.”
‘Sky is the limit’
Cifuentes contributed 15 goals or assists for LAFC in the 2022 MLS campaign.
It remains to be seen if Beale sees him as a classic ‘number ten’. Or instead as more of a box-to-box player to partner Nicolas Raskin in a deeper role.
What cannot be disputed, however, is that Cifuentes – like many of Rangers’ other signings this summer – brings plenty of flexibility to the table, thus increasing the depth available to Beale in a number of different positions.
Cifuentes could become Rangers’ eighth signing of the window already, with Danilo coming in at number nine. Danilo missed training with Feyenoord today, after the Eredivisie champions accepted Rangers’ £6 million bid for the Brazilian striker.
