Rangers appear to be closing in on a move for Ecuadorean international Jose Cifuentes, but there as a time when the LAFC midfielder was extensively linked with Celtic.
Back in 2019, when Jose Cifuentes was still at Ecuadorean club America de Quito, his eyes were set on a dream move to Europe as he looked to display his talent with Celtic extensively linked.
Speaking back then, the midfielder directly claimed that he expected to move to either Premier League giants Manchester City or our Old Firm rivals and how glad we could end up being that a switch never happened.
“My aim is to play in Europe,” said Cifuentes.
“I don’t know which club I will sign for yet – either Manchester City or Celtic. Nothing has been decided yet.
“I deserve my opportunity to play in Europe, it’s where I have to be. And my mentality is that I am going to be in Europe for a long time.
“I have spent a lot of time studying and they taught me many things, including English which I now understand better. To become a great footballer, I must learn languages and not just English.”
Jose Cifuentes heads to Rangers and not Celtic
Now, it appears that Jose Cifuentes is going to get his dream move to Europe via Rangers and not Celtic as the Ibrox club reportedly close in on a blockbuster deal.
The 24-year-old looks set to seal a move to Rangers as Cifuentes’ agent is given the Ibrox treatment and reports begin to intensify.
The likes of Fabrizio Romano have confirmed Rangers’ interest in Jose Cifuentes and – barring a late collapse – the deal looks likely to go through when his contract expires in the MLS.
Given links to the likes of Leeds United and Brighton, the move is set to be considered a major coup for Rangers and a big boost heading into an extensive summer rebuild in Govan.
While talk is cheap and Celtic are on course for a fifth treble in seven seasons, signing Cifuentes when he came so close to signing for our rivals would be a solid start to what promises to be a busy window.
