Rangers misfit transfer exit path clears as Brazilian boss outlines plans for loanees who 'will want to stay'

Rangers misfit Jose Cifuentes could make his temporary move to Cruzeiro permanent in the summer after the Brazilian club's director of football was quizzed on plans for a number of loan players.

The Ecuadorian midfielder, who only arrived at Ibrox last summer from MLS side Los Angeles FC in a deal worth £1.2million as part of Michael Beale's ill-fated squad rebuild, was talked up as a player who could take the Light Blues to "the next level".

However, the 24-year-old struggled to adapt to Scottish football and his appearances became more limited following Philippe Clement's arrival back in November. He was eventually shipped out on loan, returning to South America just four months into his four-year contract at Rangers.

Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro have an option-to-buy inserted in to the deal after his year-long loan switch and club official Pedro Martins has addressed the future of several loanees including Cifuentes, who will continue to be evaluated before a decision is made.

He told Notaque: “Negotiating is part of the game, and so we are evaluating all cases, as well as João Marcelo, we are very happy with his progress. It 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. I believe that of the players who came on loan, the vast majority will want to stay and that counts a lot in negotiations.

“Our objective in these types of loans is to be able to evaluate the athlete’s performance here, and it is also a tool for those who do not have the capacity for immediate investment.

"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."