Rangers, if things work out as planned, could have a handy £2.5 million windfall heading their way this summer.
The Glasgow giants need no introduction to the benefits of loan-to-buy deals. Ianis Hagi and Ryan Kent joined the Scottish Premiership giants on a permanent basis after impressing during initial rental periods. Oscar Cortes could do the same, providing the Lens-owned winger recovers in time and picks up where he left off before that ill-timed injury.
Rangers have an option-to-buy clause in Cortes’ contract. Mohamed Diomande, another January signing, was brought in on a short-term basis too, albeit with an obligation clause meaning he is already destined to stay beyond the summer.
Diomande will cost Rangers in excess of £4 million. It is not yet certain how much Cortes will set the Gers back. But, whatever the fee, a reported £2.5 million windfall via the sale of Jose Cifuentes could go a long way to funding it.
Rangers could make a profit on Jose Cifuentes
Cifuentes returned to South America in January after failing to impress in Scotland, Diomande proving to be an upgrade in almost every respect. The vast majority of Rangers supporters would bite your hand of at the prospect of a double-your-money sale, and suggestions that the £1.2 million acquisition from LAFC could end up earning the Glaswegian’s a cool profit will only serve to boost the ever-growing reputation of new director of football and deal-maker Nils Koppen.
Cifuentes, per AZScore, can join Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro for 16 million Brazilian reais – or £2.5 million – with a decision to be made on his future in the coming months.
“Negotiating is part of the game,” sporting director Pedro Martins tells the Cruzeiro Esporte Club YouTube channel. “And so we are evaluating all cases (with our loan players).
“(Keeping Cifuentes and co) is a decision that will take place in the middle of the year. And the club is preparing itself so that, if it is necessary to execute the purchase options, we can structure ourselves so that we do not break the club (financially).
“I believe that, of the players who came on loan, the vast majority will want to stay. And that counts a lot in negotiations.”
£2.5m windfall could help fund new signings
Cifuentes, who admitted to turning down clubs in England, Russia and Turkey before joining Cruzeiro, is unlikely to be all that keen on a second spell at Ibrox. The Ecuador international chose Brazil for personal reasons – wanting to take his family back to a culture they are more familiar with – and described his move to Cruzeiro as a ‘very exciting’ one.
A permanent parting of the ways feels like the best solution.
“Our objective in these types of loans is to be able to evaluate the player’s performance here,” Martins adds. “Given the club’s budget limitations, we prefer to bring the player on loan, see if he will adapt to our routine and way of acting.
“And when making this acquisition, we can sit down with the club and player and build in the best possible way.”
Cifuentes is not the only ill-fated Mick Beale signing who could be sold on to raise funds for new additions. Rangers are reportedly preparing to cash in on Sam Lammers too despite his fine form on loan at FC Utrecht in the Eredivisie.
