Rangers dealt potential £4m transfer blow with Ibrox outcast set to return in summer
Philippe Clement may have to find a place for a forgotten Rangers star in his first team plans or find another transfer exit route.
The January transfer window is now open and Rangers supporters will be hoping that the club are able to strengthen Philippe Clement’s first team squad.
In order to do so they may need to generate some funds by selling current stars who have fallen down the pecking order or out of favour. Cyriel Dessers and Ridvan Yilmaz are among the player who have been linked with exits from Ibrox this month.
One player who it looks like they will not be able to cash in on as easily as they might have hoped is forgotten midfielder Jose Cifuentes. The Ecuadorian international is currently on loan at Greek Super League side Aris who have the option to make the move a permanent one for a fee of £4 million.
However, the Daily Record are reporting that the Thessalonikip based outfit, who have recently changed head coach with Akis Mantzios being replaced by Marinos Ouzounidis, are not interested in keeping hold of Cifuentes on a permanent basis at that price. It is claimed that the transfer fee would have to come down in order for Aris to consider buying the 25-year old outright.
Rangers paid £1.7 million to sign the midfielder from MLS side LAFC in August 2023 but he managed just nine Scottish Premiership appearances before moving on loan to Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro. Recently, reports in Greece have claimed that Aris are no longer willing to pursue a permanent deal especially after the 25-year-old was fined for turning up late to training.
Cifuentes has made a total of 14 appearances for Aris this season and scored one goal which game in his debut against Panserraikos back in August. His last appearance was as a second half substitute in a 2-1 defeat to Asteras on December 23 with Aris currently sitting fifth in the Greek Super League table.