Sport
20-year-old returns to title-chasing lineup as Rangers have ‘verbal pact
Rangers target Jefte has gone back into the APOEL starting lineup amid lingering rumours of a summer move to Ibrox.
Rangers looked destined to sign a left back in January with so many names linked.
Ridvan Yilmaz ended up staying put though and with no decision made on Borna Barisic’s contract, Rangers didn’t end up landing a left back after all.
The main name in the final days of the window was that of APOEL talent Jefte, who is on loan from Fluminense.
A deal to sign Jefte appeared to be close, especially as he went AWOL from APOEL training, but he didn’t make the move to Glasgow.
Jefte back in APOEL starting XI
That situation left APOEL frustrated but Jefte did eventually return to Cyprus to continue the rest of his loan stay.
Jefte missed games against Nea Salamis and Karmiotissa before making a 10-minute substitute appearance against AEK Larnaca once the transfer deadline had passed.
The Brazilian clearly had to fight for his starting spot again and he did enough to go back into the lineup against AEL Limassol on Sunday.
Jefte played the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw, a result which saw APOEL lose top spot to Aris Limassol on goal difference.
After two draws in a row, APOEL need to get their title push back on track and the hope is that attacking left back Jefte can make a big difference.
There will have been fears that Jefte’s vanishing act would have set him up for a difficult second half of the season but his return to the starting lineup on Sunday suggests that he is back in the good books – and Rangers will be keeping close tabs on him.
Rangers could still sign Jefte this summer
Jefte didn’t arrive in January but Rangers could welcome him to Ibrox in the summer.
Fabrizio Romano claims that Rangers have a ‘verbal pact’ to sign Jefte from Fluminense this summer and the deal could ‘really happen in June’.
Rangers certainly wouldn’t have wanted to see Jefte frozen out of the APOEL side, so seeing him start Sunday’s draw was a positive step.
The 20-year-old has shown real attacking qualities this season, bagging three goals and four assists in 20 league games.
Jefte may well become a league champion in Cyprus this summer and then head to Rangers, but he must continue to impress in the coming months in order to make the deal happen.
