According to the latest report from Daily Record, Manchester City are close to signing Ecuadorian midfielder Jose Cifuentes. It is believed that the Premier League champions have made an official approach for the midfielder and a deal could be thrashed out in the next few hours. Scottish Champions Celtic are also said to be in the race for him, but reportedly they have fallen behind after City made the first move for the talented midfielder.
Reports earlier had emerged that Celtic might have an edge on Manchester City in the race to sign the midfielder, but that doesn’t seem to be the case right now. Cifuentes played a crucial role for his country in the recently concluded u-20 World Cup where Ecuador finished third.
Where can Cifuentes fit in?
There is no doubt that the midfielder is being seen as an option for the future as he is yet to be tested outside of his homeland at the club level. Therefore Cifuentes will likely spend time with the reserve side first before coming close to first-team football at the Etihad.
The 20-year-old is a defensive midfielder who can even play in a box to box role. Manchester City recently signed Rodri who is seen as a replacement for Fernandinho. Maybe in a few years, Cifuentes would be seen as a replacement for Rodri.
What does the midfielder bring to the table?
Cifuentes is known to be pretty robust and reliable. He is tough to shrug off the ball, and he seems to have that feistiness to his game which quite a few South American players have. However, he is far from just a midfield disruptor as the Ecuadorian talent is also known for his on the ball abilities.
He is a strong runner with the ball and can pick out his team-mates with neat passes. If Cifuentes has his head in the right place and works hard, then the Ecuadorian can be a player to watch out for in the next few seasons.
He is yet to hit his peak and would need a bit of experience to realise his true potential. There is no doubt that he can be a top player in the future if he manages to adjust to the demands of European football. Maybe City can send him away on loan after securing his signing as playing regularly at the competitive level will make him much more accustomed to the demands of football here.
