Tuesday could be ‘vital’ in Rangers’ pursuit of Fluminense left-back Jefte with the APOEL Nicosia loanee still absent from training ahead of his purported move to the Scottish Premiership giants.
It is shaping up to be a busy end to the window for Philippe Clement’s side.
Oscar Cortes, an exciting, explosive young winger expected to take the place of ‘long-term’ absentee Abdallah Sima, is set to arrive from Lens in France. A new left-back should also be touching down at Ibrox sooner rather than later, Cypriot publication Balla indicating that Rangers could have a clear answer in their pursuit of 20-year-old Jefte by the close of play today.
The Glasgow giants are expected to tie up a deal worth around £400,000 for Jefte. Rangers, per Fabrizio Romano, have agreed terms with Fluminense, but it is APOEL who have the final say in the decision. They, after all, have an option-to-buy clause in Jefte’s contract. One they may opt to trigger before selling Jefte to Rangers for a quick buck and an immediate profit.
Rangers hope to sign Jefte
The talented Brazilian, who has represented his country at under-18 level, was left out of APOEL’s squad for a 4-0 win over the weekend. Sport FM report that he is no longer training with the rest of the first-team squad either, much to the alleged ‘annoyance’ of the APOEL bosses.
“He is a promising left-back,” explains Rogerio Junior, a writer for Vamo Fluminense and the Editor-in-Chief of Football and Digital Acquisition in Brazil for GRV Media.
“He is usually an offensive player, who scores goals and provides assists. Being young, he is very athletic and can support and defend practically the entire 90 minutes.”
Jefte, who idolises Real Madrid legend Marcelo, has three goals and four assists from 20 APOEL appearances. He could take the place of Ridvan Yilmaz at Rangers if the Turkish international returns to his homeland with Galatasaray.
‘A lot of potential’
“(Jefte) was seen by Fluminense (as a player) with a lot of potential,” Rogerio Junior adds. “He was very prominent in Fluminense’s youth teams. He was even the team’s captain. In 2023, he played 28 games for the under-20s, scored five goals and provided three assists.”
“In my opinion, he is a player still in training. He is not a left-back who is ready. But he’s a great bet for the future, he has potential.
“If he works well, he could be a useful player for Rangers.”
Fabio Silva and Mohamed Diomande have already joined this month.
