South American 'unlikely' to play for Rangers again as Gers look to bank £3m profit
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South America has been one region Rangers have increasingly looked towards in recent seasons as they look to boost a floundering player trading model.
The best players in world football have traditionally come from Latin America with Rangers recruiting two Brazilians in the shape of Jefte and Danilo.
With the Ibrox club heavily linked to a number of players in Argentina this summer too, Rangers have also looked to Colombia with the arrival of Oscar Cortes.
But whilst there are big hopes these guys will make a tangible impact on the club's first-team, and its finances, there's one South American Ranger who is now unlikely to ever kick a ball for the club again.
Jose Cifuentes toils at Rangers
When Rangers signed Ecuadorean midfielder Jose Cifuentes from LAFC last summer, we were assured this was a game-changer of an addition.
Michael Beale was smarting after convincing the 25-year-old to join the ranks of the Gers with Cifuentes having just played in the Qatar World Cup with Ecuador.
Having been linked to the likes of Manchester City and Newcastle United earlier in his career, Jose Cifuentes had a big profile and there were hopes he'd be the midfield enforcer Rangers have been crying out for.
But there is one thing that Rangers never really accounted for – the weather.
Whilst adapting to the near-constant scrutiny of life at Ibrox is hard enough, swapping the palm trees of Los Angeles for the drab grey of Glasgow is a culture shock in of itself.
"I didn't experience the sun for the six months I was with Rangers," Cifuentes said in February. "It was always cold."
Cifuentes also arrived late in the window and struggled to make an impact on the Rangers team before being farmed out to Cruzeiro in Brazil.
That return to South America didn't go to plan either and this summer Cifuentes signed a loan-to-buy deal with Aris Thessaloniki in Greece.
Rangers loanee thriving in Greece
It's fair to say, this has been a move which has ultimately benefitted Jose Cifuentes in ways Rangers fans will wish his move to Ibrox did.
The midfielder has been a revelation in Greece and has put in a series of commanding performances to guide the Greek overachievers to the top of the nation's Super League.
There's still a long way to go this season but already the form of Cifuentes will have some at Rangers asking the question about a potential return.
However, the Rangers Review and Chris Jack appear to have shot down that suggestion in a feature story about Jose Cifuentes's time in Europe.
Confirming that Aris have a purchase option on the loan – reported to be €5m (£4.2m) – the report states that 'in all likelihood, Cifu has kicked his last ball for Rangers'.
Jack also suggests Cifuentes 'may well come to the attention of other interested parties' and claims Rangers paid an initial £1.2m to sign the midfielder last season.
This is a number which the journalist claims excludes 'six-figure' agent fees, but should those reports around the option have substance, Rangers stand to bank around £3m in profit on the player.
