Rangers fans were excited to hear this week that Jose Cordoba was all set to jet in for a medical.
The Panamanian defender, 22, has been the most prominent transfer target of the summer window to date and reports in Bulgaria had claimed we were at the medical stage.
This was then echoed later in the week – a Spanish football journalist causing a little confusion with the confirmation nonetheless – with Rangers fans braced for signing number two of the window.
The club has already secured the future of January target, APOEL loanee and Fluminense left-back Jefte.
But, as is always the case, nothing is delivered until the contract is signed, the money transferred and the scarf hoisted high above the player’s head.
Now, with Rangers fans nervously waiting for an update on Jose Cordoba, one French-based journalist has thrown a cat amongst the bears.
Cordoba ‘very close’ to snubbing Rangers
Rangers fans know that Jose Cordoba is wanted man.
Back when the links broke in Latin America, it was claimed that ‘half of Europe’ are tailing the Levski Sofia defender.
Branded ‘the best defender in Bulgaria’ Cordoba has been linked with moves to Besiktas, USG, Lille, and most recently, Norwich City.
And it’s the Canaries who find themselves at the centre of some rather nervous nail-biting down Ibrox way as journalist Nabil Djellit claims they’ve stolen a Panamanian march on Rangers.
Djellit has over 500k followers on X and links himself to a number of high-profile French publications including CANAL+ and L’Equipe.
In a message that will raise the nerves of Rangers fans, the journalist claims that Jose Cordoba is ‘very close’ to joining Norwich.
Translated, the message reads: “Best defender in the Bulgarian Championship, José Cordoba, Panamanian international, central is very close to Norwich.”
Summer transfer heat rising at Ibrox
It’s not the news that most Rangers fans wanted to wake up to we’re sure.
The Panamanian defender looked to be a shrewd addition and Rangers had worked their Ibrox magic in seemingly managing to convince the 22-year-old to move to the club.
The reported fees involved – £2m rising to £3.2m – are also very affordable for Rangers as they look to rebuild under Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen this summer.
Whilst all is certainly not lost when it comes to Jose Cordoba, and we’ll await an update from someone closer to home, we don’t need to tell you that a failure to close this particular deal isn’t a good look.
Rangers need to get just about ever single transfer right this summer and there is huge pressure on Nis Koppen to deliver in the market.
Losing out on such a high-profile and public target would only further intensify things and let’s hope that Mr Djellit’s information was lost in translation.
