As Jose Cifuentes plays for both Ecuador and LAFC within 24 hours, perhaps it can cool reports suggesting Rangers have already agreed a deal with the midfielder.
The 24-year-old midfielder came off the bench for Mexican forward Carlos Vela in the 71st minute as the MLS side defeated Seattle Sounders 1-0 to maintain their place at the top of the Western Conference.
Jose Cifuentes even had the ball in the back of the net for LAFC but the goal was eventually ruled out for offside as Rangers reportedly close in on a deal for the Ecuador international.
The substitute appearance also came only 24 hours after Cifuentes had played around 70 minutes for Ecuador in their 3-1 friendly win over Costa Rica, where he assisted the nation’s second goal in the game.
The craziest thing about the entire set-up is that Ecuador’s friendly with Costa Rica was in Eastern state Pennsylvania, whilst the LAFC clash was back in California.
Jose Cifuentes LAFC appearance puts breaks on Rangers talk
This double appearance news also comes against the backdrop of claims that Rangers have all-but agreed on a deal with LAFC for Jose Cifuentes.
Reports first appeared in Ecuador suggesting that “everything is arranged” for a deal to be completed with Rangers simply now having to agree a final transfer fee with LAFC to make Jose Cifuentes an Ibrox star.
Reports in the UK then appeared to reiterate these claims, with everything pointing to the midfielder being metaphorical inches away from a switch to Rangers.
But if this truly was the case, and Rangers had a genuine stake in the matter at all, then how does letting the player play in two matches at different sides of the USA sound to a club assessing a midfielder’s fitness ahead of next season?
It represents a huge risk and if Rangers did have any say on the matter we reckon they’d have some choice words to say about the needless overuse of the player.
The fact Jose Cifuentues has just turned out for Ecuador and LAFC so closely together suggests one thing; that talk of an imminent Rangers transfer is wide of the mark even if the interest might not be.
