Euro club plots Jan swoop for Rangers 23-yr-old, one major obstacle in potential deal – report
Primeira Liga side Estoril are plotting a January move for Rangers defender Fabio Cardoso, according to a report.
Portuguese news outlet A Bola claims that the struggling side are looking to improve their defence in January and is high on manager Ivo Vieira’s list of targets.
The 23-year-old only joined Rangers in the summer for Vitoria Setubal in a £1.3million move and it’s unlikely Rangers will be willing to let the defender go if it means taking a hit financially.
Cardoso began his career with Benfica, featuring regularly for the B side but never making his first-debut before a loan spell with Pacos de Ferreira.
The central defender joined Vitoria in the summer of 2016 before moving to Ibrox in June.
Cardoso was a regular in the side under Pedro Caixinha but has barely featured since his compatriot was sacked on October 26th.
According to the report, the player’s Rangers contract could be a major hurdle in a potential move to European club Estorial with Cardoso penning a four-year deal in Glasgow.
Cardoso has made 15 appearances in all competitions for the Ibrox giants but wasn’t even named among the substitutes in the 3-1 defeat by St. Johnstone on Saturday.
The 23-year-old’s last appearance was as a half-time replacement for Danny Wilson in the 2-1 Pittodrie win over Aberdeen at the beginning of December.
Footnall Insider verdict
If Estoril want to cough up a decent fee which covers what Rangers paid out for the defender six months ago then there might be a possibility of this happening. If they want Rangers to let the defender go for pennies after spending £1.3million on him then they have no chance of getting him. A loan move could be a possibility to let him get some regular game time since he’s fallen down the pecking order at Ibrox but with the Gers needing to make the most financially of every transfer then letting Cardoso go on the cheap will be a complete non-starter. At only 23, there’s still a long way for Cardoso to be the finished article. Who knows, a run of games and some confidence he might just turn a corner.
In other Rangers news, this BBC pundit has made a bizarre claim about the club.
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