Conor Coady to Rangers transfer jolted by 'obvious' Leicester boss revelation as Mbuyamba pitch made

Daily Record

2 days ago

The push by the Glasgow giants to sign the experienced centre-back has dragged on throughout the summer
Boss Marti Cifuentes admits Leicester City need to cut the size of their squad amid Rangers' interest in Conor Coady.
The defender has been a target at Ibrox all summer and both the Scottish Premiership giants and Coady had been keen to make a deal happen in time for the Champions League qualification double-header against Panathinaikos.
But the England cap remains in training with the Foxes as they prepares for the English Championship campaign after Premier League relegation.
Cifuentes has praised the 32-year-old following his pre-season showings - and has kept Coady as his captain going into the new campaign.
However, Cifuentes told BBC Radio Leicester that cash-strapped City would have to cut their cloth before the end of the window.
The Spaniard said: 'It's very clear we have a lot of players in the squad. Definitely there is a lot of quality, but at the same time we need to understand that we need to trim this squad.
'At the moment we have 32 players which is quite a lot. It's not what I want. Everybody is aware is that the market, there's a lot of weeks until it's closed. A lot of things can happen.
'The important thing in these days is to learn from the players, to understand more what they can give to the team, what they can give to the idea, and take some decisions.
'What I know for sure is that I don't like to work with very big squads.
'I know the Championship and hopefully we're going to do very well in both cup competitions.
"We're going to need enough players to rotate, to make sure everybody's ready during the season. You never know if you're going to have a bad period of injuries.
'At the same time, I'm a big believer that we have a fantastic academy so I want the young guys, even the ones who are not here today, that have a chance to train with us to show themselves, to hopefully have opportunities during the season.
'I think it's pretty obvious some changes will happen during the next weeks.'
Xavier Mbuyamba is also reportedly on Rangers radar as the club search for defensive reinforcements.
The Dutch defender has just helped FC Volendam return to the Eredivisie by winning the second division title.
The 23-year-old - who was previously linked to Celtic back in 2023 - has entered the final year of his deal and is reportedly available for £450k this summer.
And former Volendam star Kees Kwakma is baffled that the centre-back hasn't found a move - as he told suitors exactly what they will be getting.
He told ESPN's Voetbalpraat: "It's striking that Xavier Mbuyamba still hasn't found a club.
"He's a true, pure defender. He's very fit and still very young at 23. He's definitely an investment that can make a difference, so I expect things to move forward."