Jose Cordoba to Rangers hit with shock transfer claim as defender 'very close' to joining Norwich

The race to land Jose Cordoba has been hit with a fresh twist with a report claiming it’s now Norwich City who are now in the driving seat to land the wanted defender – and not Rangers.

It appeared the 22-year-old – viewed as Nils Koppen's top central defensive target – was en route to to rubber stamp a switch to Glasgow after taking in the 4-1 win over Kilmarnock earlier this month. It was also claimed earlier this week he was ready for a Rangers medical. But now Cordoba is reportedly set for a sensational U-turn with a move to Carrow Road mooted.

Norwich have been trailing the Panama international for months and watched him extensively at Levski Sofia last season. A report from a leading figure in France claims it's Norwich not Rangers who will be Cordoba's next destination. Nabil Djellit, posting on X, said: "The best defender in the Bulgarian Championship, José Cordoba, Panamanian international, a central defender is very close to Norwich."

And any late change of heart would be a blow to Rangers who have been told by his Levski defensive partner Kellian van der Kaap he would be a perfect choice. He said: “When you see that journey, you have to ask, ‘Where is his limit?’ I think there’s no limit for Jose. He was in Spain for only a short time but it was during Covid so I don’t think you need to worry too much about his time there. After that, he probably had better offers for more money but he saw the bigger picture and came to Bulgaria because he wanted to play.

“It says so much about him that he had setbacks in his career but he has continued fighting to get where he wants to be. I’ve seen Jose grow for the last two and a half years. I saw him grow every month, every game where he improved a lot. So I’ll ask it