‘Gers-bound midfielder’ benched in favour of £120m-rated Chelsea target

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Reportedly Rangers-bound midfielder Jose Cifuentes found himself on the bench for Ecuador at the expense of £120m-rated Chelsea target and Brighton star Moises Caicedo.

Jose Cifuentes failed to make an appearance for Ecuador in their 1-0 friendly win over Bolivia, which was taking place at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey, USA. Enner Valencia scored the only goal of the game in the second half.

Amid reports that Rangers will secure a deal for 24-year-old midfielder Cifuentes after this round of international fixtures, the likes of Brighton star Moises Caicedo played the entire game amid strong links to Chelsea.

The other player who started in the Ecuador midfield for the clash against Bolivia was San José Earthquakes midfielder Carlos Gruezo, who is the preferred option beside the Brighton man.

Moises Caicedo preferred to Jose Cifuentes for Ecuador

Rangers will have one eye on the performances of Jose Cifuentes during this international break with Ecuador amid gathering reports the LAFC midfielder will sign for the Ibrox side.

The latest reports, coming from journalist Alan Nixon, have claimed that Rangers will hold off late Premier League competition to complete a deal for the Ecuadorean midfielder.

And if Jose Cifuentes has even a fraction of the impact at Rangers that Moises Caicedo has had at Brighton then the move will represent superb business from Rangers on and off the park.

According to the Telegraph, Ecuador star Moises Caicedo is wanted by Chelsea this transfer window but Brighton’s demands of £120m will need to be negotiated down for a deal to be complete.

This comes after the Seagulls rejected a reported £70m January offer from Arsenal for the midfielder, who joined the club for a fee of £4.5m in February 2021.

Rangers hope to complete fifth summer signing

Jose Cifuentes has been one of the stories of the transfer window so far for Rangers, who have already signed Kieran Dowell, Dujon Sterling, Jack Butland and now Sam Lammers this summer.

Jose Cifuentes has 15 caps for the Ecuador international team and Rangers fans will keep an eye out for the nation’s upcoming clash with Costa Rica and whether the seemingly Ibrox bound star will be involved.

According to leading Rangers fan media Four Lads Had a Dream, Rangers will look to pay between £750k and £1.5m for Cifuentes as he prepares to enter the final six months of his deal in the USA.