Glasgow Rangers have one match left to play before they can fully turn their attention to the upcoming summer transfer window and how they could shape their squad.
The Light Blues travel away from Ibrox to take on their local rivals in the SFA Cup final at Hampden Park and have the chance to secure their second trophy of the season.
Philippe Clement won the League Cup trophy early on in his reign, with a 1-0 win over Aberdeen in the final, and will now look for a second piece of silverware in his first campaign at the club.
The Belgian head coach will then work with head of recruitment Nils Koppen to identify and sign targets to improve the playing squad ahead of next season.
However, there is reportedly already an effort being put in behind the scenes to get deals over the line before the club's season is even officially over.
Rangers are in the market to bolster their defensive options and they are reportedly battling it out with another team to land a new central defender to compete with the likes of John Souttar, Ben Davies, and Connor Goldson.
Rangers submit bid to sign colossus
According to Bulgarian outlet Gong, the Light Blues are facing a battle with English Championship outfit Norwich City to sign Levski Sofia defender Jose Cordoba this summer.
The report claims that both team are interested in a deal to snap up the left-footed colossus and they have both submitted bids to secure his services.
It states that the centre-back will be sold by Levski Sofia and that a fee of around €3.2m (£2.7m) is expected to be earned by the Bulgarian side, with both Rangers and Norwich having said to have made similar proposals in terms of money.
Gong adds that the Gers invited him over to Scotland earlier this season to take in a clash with Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership, and that he had agreed a preliminary contract with the club.
However, this latest report reveals that Cordoba now prefers to join Norwich in England is the project at Carrow Road, despite them not having a manager in place at this time, is more 'attractive' to the defender.
Rangers are, per the Daily Record, via IbroxNews, set to sign Fluminense left-back Jefte on a permanent deal in the coming weeks but the Sofia star would be an even better signing for the Gers than the Borna Barisic replacement if they can oust the Canaries out of the way.
Where Jefte would fit in at Rangers
The left-footed full-back may not be an immediately impressive signing to come in and improve the team as he could have Ridvan Yilmaz ahead of him in the pecking order.
At the age of 20, the Brazilian whiz may be one for the future rather than a player who could come in to make an instant impact in the Premiership and in Europe next season.
The young starlet spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan with APOEL Nicosia in Cyprus and his form this season does not suggest that he would come in as an upgrade on Yilmaz in the short-term.
Appearances
31
26
Key passes per game
1.0
1.5
Dribbled past per game
2.3
0.6
Duel success rate
41%
56%
Assists
2
1
As you can see in the table above, Jefte has provided more assists than the Turkey international but with 33% fewer key passes per game on average, which suggests that his superior assist tally may be down to the quality of finishing from his forwards.
Yilmaz has also won a much higher percentage of his physical duels against opposition players and been dribbled past far less per match on average.
These statistics indicate that Jefte is a young player with a lot to learn, as he has been dominated in duels and is regularly dribbled past by wingers, whereas the Rangers star, who is three years older, is a solid defender who can be relied upon in and out of possession.
Therefore, Yilmaz could remain the first-choice option for Clement at Ibrox even with the Brazilian's reportedly pending arrival, which would not make him a fantastic signing in the short-term, at least, as it may take a season or two before he is ready to play week-in-week-out.
Why Jose Cordoba would be a better signing than Jefte
Whereas, Cordoba could be a better addition for the Light Blues in the here and now as he could come in and immediately make his mark on the pitch, based on his form this season.
John Souttar and Ben Davies have been two of the main left-sided centre-back options for Clement in the Scottish Premiership this season, with the latter being the only left-footed option in that position for the Gers.
Appearances
28
8
27
Duels won per game
5.9
5.3
8.8
Duel success rate
71%
69%
54%
Interceptions per game
1.0
0.8
4.4
Ball recoveries per game
4.1
6.9
12.2
Clearances per game
3.5
3.1
1.6
As you can see in the table above, Cordoba has the potential to offer more than both of them from a defensive perspective, with far more interceptions and recoveries to win possession back for his team each game.
This suggests that the 22-year-old colossus is more aggressive, as shown by his superior number of duels won per match, than Souttar and Davies and could take the game to opposition attackers more than Clement's current options.
Football scout Petar Petrov described him as one of the most "progressive" defenders in Bulgaria, which also suggests, along with his 88% pass accuracy in the Parva Liga, that he is comfortable at playing out from the back.
As a naturally left-footed player, Cordoba could build attacks more comfortably than Souttar, a naturally right-footed operator, on the left side of the defence as he can open up onto his left foot to play passes into midfield or to the left flank.
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Therefore, the potential is there for the 22-year-old star to come in as an immediate starter for Rangers to bolster their backline, if he can translate those performances over to Scotland, and that is why he would be an even better signing than Jefte, who does not appear to offer more than Yilmaz at this point in time.