Rangers are interested in snapping up LAFC midfielder Jose Cifuentes in a potential bargain transfer this summer.
Claims of Rangers’ interest in Cifuentes have come from MLS insider Tom Bogert.
It’s suggested that Rangers have joined the race to sign Cifuentes alongside Leeds United and Spanish side Espanyol.
Cifuentes will be particularly attractive because of his contract situation at LAFC.
The Ecuadorian star is out of contract at the end of 2023, meaning LAFC risk losing him very soon.
Rangers could go for a pre-contract agreement with Cifuentes in the summer, teeing up a January arrival.
Alternatively, Rangers could attempt a knockdown deal for Cifuentes before his deal ends, much like the January move for Nicolas Raskin.
Beating Leeds and Espanyol won’t be easy but Cifuentes represents a fascinating option for Rangers.
Rangers target Jose Cifuentes has been hailed as ‘terrific’
If anybody will know about Cifuentes, it’s South American football expert Tim Vickery.
Vickery is something of an oracle when it comes to South American football and he has seen plenty of Cifuentes for Ecuador and with the likes of Universidad Catolica and America de Quito.
Cifuentes also featured for Ecuador at the World Cup in Qatar last year.
Vickery heaped praise on Cifuentes way back in 2019, hailing him as a ‘terrific midfielder’ and the ‘beating heart’ of the Ecuador Under-20 side.
“He was the beating heart of that side and I think he’s a terrific midfielder. He’s strong, he’s got quality, he’s got a good engine – he’s one of the best all-round midfielders, potentially, that I’ve seen come out of South America in a while,” said Vickery.
Cifuentes has been a real all-action midfielder with LAFC.
13 goals and 15 assists in 86 MLS games is a decent record for Cifuentes, who has been a quality box-to-box player in the States.
Cifuentes is a different type of midfielder to Raskin but you can see the thought process; young, talented, full of potential and possibly cheaper than usual due to their contract situations.
Maybe that’s the approach Michael Beale will take and Cifuentes would certainly fit the bill.
