Even Jefte Vital himself would probably have to admit that his head was turned by Rangers’ interest during the latter stages of the January transfer window.
Philippe Clement’s side agreed terms with Fluminenese for the Brazilian left-back, Jefte then going AWOL at loan side APOEL Nicosia before feeling the need to apologise for his actions once that potential £400,000 move to Ibrox collapsed.
“To all APOEL fans, my teammates, the coach, the president and the entire club staff, I would like to communicate my apology for being absent,” he wrote on Instagram. “At the time of the incident, I was not feeling in a position to help the club and I chose to leave.”
Had Jefte not been under contract at APOEL until the end of the current campaign, the 20-year-old would probably be a Rangers player today.
Jefte Vital is still a Rangers target
He still could be of course, later down the line. There will be room at Ibrox for a new left-sided defender this summer once Borna Barisic’s contract expires, even if Ridvan Yilmaz has come on leaps and bounds under Philippe Clement.
Jefte is not the only left-back on Rangers’ radar. But with another of their targets, Gijs Smal, reportedly agreeing to join reigning Eredivisie champions Feyenoord in July, Jefte’s hopes of securing that belated switch to the blue side of Glasgow appear to have been handed a timely boost.
Smal, per Voetbal International, will join Feyenoord when his FC Twente deal runs out at the end of the current campaign. As such, one of Jefte’s big rivals appears to have been removed from the picture, Smal’s move to Rotterdam boosting the Rio-born flyer’s hopes of joining compatriot Danilo at the current Scottish Premiership leaders.
Borna Barisic will need to be replaced at Ibrox
Smal posted the most assists in the Eredivisie last season with 10.
Jefte, who idolises Real Madrid icon Marcelo and prides himself upon his ‘skill and creativity’, is no stranger to key contributions in the final third either, however. Jefte has three goals and four assists for APOEL, and could prove to be an inspired acquisition for a Rangers side who usually dominate possession domestically and often rely on their full-backs to open up deep-lying backlines.
