Jose Cifuentes is now expected to remain at Rangers until at least January after his latest injury setback effectively ended hopes of finding a permanent exit before the transfer window closes.
The Ecuador international underwent surgery earlier this summer and remains sidelined, leaving Rangers unable to find a solution for the midfielder before the deadline.
Cifuentes has not played a competitive match for Rangers since December 2023 and has spent the past three seasons away from Ibrox on loan.
However, none of those spells have resulted in a permanent transfer, and his latest injury has now left Rangers facing the prospect of carrying the midfielder into the final year of his contract.
The 27-year-old is understood to be earning around £11,000 per week at Rangers, meaning the club will continue to carry his wages while he remains unavailable.
Rangers unable to find Cifuentes solution
Rangers had been hoping to move Cifuentes on permanently this summer as Derek McInnes continued to reshape his squad.
The midfielder had spent the previous three campaigns on loan, with spells at Cruzeiro, Aris Thessaloniki and Toronto FC failing to produce a permanent move.
His situation was already complicated by his lack of first-team involvement at Rangers, but the surgery has made finding a buyer before the deadline considerably more difficult.
With Cifuentes currently unable to play, potential suitors have little incentive to commit to a permanent deal while uncertainty remains over his recovery.
As a result, the expectation is now that Cifuentes will stay at Ibrox until at least the January transfer window, if his contract is not terminated.
There could potentially be opportunities for the midfielder to leave later in the year, with some foreign transfer markets operating beyond the Scottish deadline and the possibility of a loan move being explored once he is fit.
However, a late loan departure is not currently viewed as the most likely outcome.
Final year of Rangers contract
Cifuentes is entering the final year of his Rangers contract, making his situation particularly frustrating for the club.
Rangers will now have to continue managing his rehabilitation while deciding how best to handle his future ahead of January.
The midfielder has effectively been outside the first-team picture for almost three years, and McInnes has shown no indication that Cifuentes is part of his immediate plans.
Unless a foreign club can provide an opportunity later in the year, Cifuentes is expected to remain a Rangers player through the first half of the campaign.
The January window could therefore become the next realistic opportunity for Rangers to finally bring an end to one of the more frustrating transfer situations of recent years.
The club are working to offload Clinton Nsiala, Ross McCausland, Lyall Cameron and John Souttar ahead of Thursday's deadline with Bojan Miovski, Nicolas Raskin, Connor Barron and Djiedi Gassama also linked with moves away. Mason Munn is additionally listed for loan.
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