Jose Cordoba might well go on to be the biggest Rangers ‘one that got away’ of recent seasons.
The Panamanian centre-back, 22, looked all set to join the ranks of Philippe Clement’s Rangers revolution after being given the Ibrox treatment.
But as news of Norwich City’s interest began to spread online, Rangers quickly pulled the plug and the deal was off almost as quickly as it appeared.
The lack of clarification over why Rangers pulled out of the deal has led to something of a transfer vacuum surrounding Jose Cordoba.
Many believe it is simply a reminder of the Ibrox club’s place in modern football’s pyramid, others think Levski Sofia/the player’s agents went a step too far in negotiations.
But the latest coming out of Bulgaria appears to provide some clarity over the situation as Rangers’ attentions shift elsewhere.
Levski reject Rangers Cordoba terms
Bulgarian outlet TEMA Sport have revealed that Jose Cordoba is closing in on a move to Norwich and that the transfer could be announced this week.
The deal is said to be worth around 7.3M BGN, or €3.65m/£3.1m.
That is roughly the same amount Rangers were said to be willing to pay for the defender.
Reports had suggested Rangers wanted to strike a £2m rising to £3.2m deal to bring Jose Cordoba to Ibrox.
But the TEMA Sport report appears to suggest that Levski Sofia actually wanted the money up front, with Rangers’ performance-based add-ons a sticking point in the transfer.
It claims that ‘Levski did not agree with the form of payment that Rangers had proposed’.
The report also claims that Jose Cordoba will earn around £7000 per week at Carrow Road, a figure which is not insurmountable for Rangers by any means.
Norwich to seal defender transfer
So what does it all mean in essence?
Well, the suggestion is that Norwich City were more willing to put up the £3m+ straight away whilst Rangers wanted a more structured deal.
The Norwich proposal is obviously in Levski Sofia’s best interests.
The report will also quash suggestions that Norwich simply gazumped Rangers in terms of wages.
But despite all of this, one suspects if Jose Cordoba really had the drive to join Rangers over Norwich City then we might’ve been able to make a deal happen.
The Canaries are certainly an attractive proposition for players given they are regularly promoted to and relegated from the Premier League.
It’s also worth noting that the Jose Cordoba transfer situation is happening before this summer’s Copa America, where the defender will play with Panama.
It is said that Norwich are eager to make a deal happen before the tournament.
And given they’re willing to stump up the full price, a move to the Championship appears the best outcome for all parties.
Rangers are working on a tight transfer budget this summer and let’s see who else is on Nils Koppen’s radar at the centre of defence.
One potential option has already been claiming he’s heading to Europe this summer.
