Sport
Rangers have now completely left up to the Ibrox star as the Gers seal an agreement to earn £800k in profit.
The ball is in the court of Jose Cifuentes after Rangers accepted a loan-to-buy transfer bid from Turkish side Rizespor for the Ecuadorean’s services.
News broke over the weekend that the Turkish Super Lig side had made a loan offer with a £2m compulsory purchase clause for the ex-LAFC star.
It follows on from a disappointing first six months in Glasgow for the 24-year-old midfielder, who was signed on a reported £1.2m deal from the MLS club in the summer.
Ibrox insiders Heart & Hand have now confirmed that Rangers have accepted the Rizespor bid and claimed that any transfer decision is now up to Jose Cifuentes.
If any deal is completed, Rangers would stand to make a reported £800k profit on the midfielder.
Michael Beale has however previously suggested that the £1.2m transfer fee attached to the player is substantially higher than the actual fee.
Jose Cifuentes to Rizespor?
Should Jose Cifuentes decide to move to Turkey, it will cap what’s been a very underwhelming spell at Rangers for the midfielder.
Ex-manager Michael Beale earned the plaudits of supporters for striking a deal with the Ecuador World Cup star in the summer, Cifuentes having been linked to the likes of Brighton, Newcastle United, and even Manchester City at different stages of his career.
Arriving late in the summer window, it appears that Jose Cifuentes has struggled to settle with swapping Los Angeles for Glasgow a culture shock we can all appreciate for a South American footballer.
Throw into that a frustrated Instagram post about returning from injury ahead of the clash with Dumbarton, and suddenly things didn’t look to be going to plan for the Rangers star.
Rangers boost midfield with transfer
Rangers have also made a statement midfield signing in the January window, with Mohamed Diomande set to join the Gers from FC Nordsjælland.
A loan-to-buy with a substantial summer outlay of £4.3m, Diomande has been signed to play and suddenly Rangers have midfield options.
John Lundstram – the subject of much contract debate as things stand – has been a player reborn under Philippe Clement.
Nicolas Raskin is getting back to form after a long-term injury, Ryan Jack continues to get minutes off the bench, and Dujon Sterling has emerged as a genuine midfield option in the squad.
Competition is certainly fierce and when you combine those other factors with Jose Cifuentes’ attempts to settle at Rangers, perhaps Rizespor and the Turkish Super Lig looks an increasingly tempting option.
Whatever the case, the decisions appears to be Jose’s and whether he stays or goes, Rangers stand to benefit financially from the deal to bring him to Glasgow.
