Rangers are still ‘likely’ to seal a deal for Los Angeles FC midfielder Jose Cifuentes with his contract at the Major League Soccer outfit expiring at the end of this year.
The Athletic may have brought an end to their matchday coverage of the Scottish Premiership giants but that does not mean there is not the odd golden nugget of Rangers-themed information to be unearthed within their paywalled pages.
Mick Beale’s Scottish Premiership runners-up, they say, are still in pole position to sign a player who might just be the most exciting transfer target on the club’s summer wishlist.
Jose Cifuentes, labelled an ‘incredibly complete’ footballer by LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo and hailed publicly by Beale himself, was linked with a number of Premier League clubs in previous windows. Leeds United, Brighton and Newcastle among them. Some suggested he would cost around £15 million.
Rangers close in on Jose Cifuentes
Now, with his contract expiring in December, Rangers could secure his services for a mere fraction of that fee. Stevie Clifford from Four Lads Had a Dream suggests that a deal in the region of £1.5 million may be on the cards.
Quite the bargain. This is, after all, an improving 24-year-old who featured at the Qatar World Cup. One who would arrive at the Ibrox on the back of an outstanding MLS campaign. Cifuentes scored seven goals and set up eight more in 2022.
His drive, energy and poise from the centre of the park, alongside Todd Cantwell, Kieran Dowell and Nicolas Raskin, could put the finishing touches on a new-look Rangers midfield capable of going toe-to-toe with a now Ange Postecoglou-less Celtic side.
“A move to Rangers is likely,” The Athletic say. “But no deal is totally done yet.”
This comes a week after Fabrizio Romano reported that Rangers were still in talks with Cifuentes’ representatives; the terms and the length of his contract under discussion.
“I really like Cifuentes,” former Scotland international Johnny Russell, who has come up against Cifuentes in America, tells the Daily Record. “I’ve played against him a few times now.
“He’s a very good player and I think that he’s the right fit for Rangers and Scottish football. If Rangers get him, it would be a bit of a coup for them.
“He’s one of these boys who could come in and do a job for you. But then you could probably shift him on as well. Rangers could sell him on again if he does well there. And Cifuentes might see a move to Scotland as a stepping stone to the English Premier League.”
Rangers are also closing in on both Sam Lammers and Cyriel Dessers. Lammers should undergo a medical on Wednesday.
