Rangers source reacts to ‘confirmed’ Jose Cifuentes transfer news – Jonny McFarlane
Reports suggesting that Jose Cifuentes’ move to Rangers has been done have been disputed by a club source, according to Jonny McFarlane.
A Friday afternoon (7 July) update from Mercado Futbol EC claimed that the deal was “confirmed” and official news was on the way within the next few hours.
The Ecuador international midfielder has been on the cards as an Ibrox arrival throughout the transfer window, with Michael Beale hoping to get a deal done during the summer rather than when his LAFC contract expires in December, but according to McFarlane’s Ibrox source it is still not done.
Posting on Twitter on Friday evening (7 July) the Rangers Review journalist wrote: “Despite reports coming from America, a Rangers source has told me they are currently no further forward in their pursuit of Jose Cifuentes from LAFC.”
False alarm
With Beale gradually making breakthroughs on other deals, such as the now-completed signing of Cyriel Dessers from Cremonese, there are high hopes that Cifuentes can be added to the transfer haul sooner rather than later.
There appears to be a broad consensus that the 24-year-old should end up a Light Blues player at some point as he seems to want to make the move.
But the complicating factor of the MLS season running on a different schedule from European leagues means he is currently still featuring for LAFC.
But his coach Steve Cherundolo would no-doubt like a resolution one way or another as well as he was apparently left looking “decidedly uncomfortable” when asked about Cifuentes’ absence from the line up last weekend (1 July).
It presumably is a club-level hold up as there shouldn’t be anything in the way of the 16-cap international signing a pre-contract ahead of a December Ibrox move.
It may be the case that such a deal is now signed, hence the suggestion that the move is confirmed, but Rangers’ and LAFC’s negotiations on compensation to bring it forward six months have not yet reached an agreement.
Beale managed to get two similar deals over the line in January to sign Todd Cantwell and Nico Raskin from Norwich and Standard Liege respectively so he is clearly willing to spend on players with expiring contracts, but it appears there is not yet agreement on a third such move for Cifuentes.
In other Rangers news, a sought-after teenage talent has made his “bittersweet” exit from a Premier League club official after a reported Light Blues visit.