Rangers sign Ciubotaru on two-year contract after official reveal on Wednesday – sources
Romanian teenager Kevin Ciubotaru has signed a two-year professional contract at Rangers, Ibrox News has been told.
Rangers announced the 18-year-old left-back’s arrival at Auchenhowie from Kinetic Academy on Wednesday [9 February] with the B team’s Twitter account showing an image of him signing a contract.
Ibrox News has been told by a source close to Ciubotaru that the Italy-born Romania Under-18 international has agreed a two-year professional deal at Ibrox that will expire at the end of the 2023/24 season.
Ciubotaru spent time at Austrian giants Rapid Vienna before linking up with the South London-based Kinetic Academy.
Gers star Joe Aribo broke through at the same academy, which has also developed Stoke City loanee Josh Maja.
Ciubotaru is predominantly a left-back but he can also play in a wing-back role due to his strength in going forward.
He’s expected to play for Rangers’ B team this season in the Scottish Lowland League but has aims to break into the senior squad next term.
As it stands, the Gers’ B team are third in the Lowland League, level on points but with a game in hand on Celtic B, who are fourth.
Ciubotaru has confirmed to the Scottish Sun this week [7 February] that he’d had trials with Chelsea, Tottenham, West Ham, Watford, Southampton, Brentford and rejected offers from Sheffield United and Leicester City before agreeing to join Rangers.
Fellow Romanian Ianis Hagi has already helped Ciubtoaru settle in Glasgow.
He said: “I met Ianis Hagi and we spoke a little. He’s a very humble man, I can’t wait to train and play with him in the first team next season hopefully. I’m sorry he got hurt pretty badly, I understand he’ll need a few good months to recover.”
In other Rangers news, a BBC Sportsound pundit noticed this Gers star trying to fight with a fan at Ibrox on Sunday.