Norwich City set to lose out in transfer battle for 12-cap international | OneFootball

Levski Sofia defender Jose Cordoba has informed friends he would prefer a move to Rangers over Norwich City this summer, as per a report from Football Insider.

The 22-year-old Panamanian had reportedly hinted that he would prefer a move to Carrow Road over Ibrox, as per a news article from Bulgaria, but this new update suggests he may well have changed his mind.

A full Panama international, Cordoba has been impressing for Levski Sofia in Bulgaria for multiple seasons now, making over 80 appearances.

It is reported that the Bulgarian outfit will look to hold out for a transfer fee of around £3 million, but that a deal could be struck with an initial fee of £2 million instead.

Jose Cordoba prefers Rangers move over Norwich City

As per Football Insider's exclusive report, Cordoba has told his friends that he would like to move to Ibrox this summer.

The report states that the youngster l does have an offer on the table from Norwich, but he has now made clear that he will reject the opportunity to move to the Championship in favour of a move to Glasgow.

They report that a deal with Gers for the central defender is now at an 'advanced' stage, following extensive negotiations taking place between the two clubs over the previous month.

It now looks likely that The Canaries will have to move on to other targets, as they appear to have missed out on Cordoba's signature.

Norwich potentially losing out on a gem in Jose Cordoba

Cordoba's Levski Sofia teammate and Bulgaria international Andrian Kraev has seen first-hand the development of the 22-year-old during his time in the Bulgarian capital, and he believes the Panama defender could be very special.

Speaking via his agent John Inglis to the Scottish Sun, Kraev would say on Cordoba: "I’ve spoken with Andrian about Cordoba.

"And he’s said not only is he probably the best defender in Bulgaria, a top pro and player, he’s also a great guy.

“They are big compliments from Andrian - and he is confident Cordoba would do well for Rangers or any other club if he is to leave Levski.”

The Canaries are clearly in the market for a new central defender or two, as this was always going to be a strong likelihood even before the club announced that central defenders Ben Gibson and Danny Batth would not be retained for next season.

It appeared that Cordoba was their number one target in this position, and it can be expected that Norwich will not stop in their pursuit of their man until any deal with Rangers is confirmed.

With multiple seasons of senior football under his belt, Cordoba is fully equipped to handle the physicality of either the Championship with Norwich, or the Scottish Premiership with Rangers.

He's also racked up 12 caps for his national side Panama, with eight of those coming in the CONCACAF Nations League tournament earlier this year.

That means he's also likely to be heading to the Copa America this June, as Panama prepare to take on a group that consists of Uruguay, the USA and Bolivia respectively.

Clearly a top talent, he now appears to have his heart set on a move to Scotland, but should Rangers be unable to seal a deal with Cordoba, Norwich appears to be his preferred second choice.