Rangers have completed the signing of Venezuela international striker Kevin Kelsy from Portland Timbers in a deal reported to be worth around £9 million to £9.5 million. The 22-year-old has signed an initial four-year contract at Ibrox, with an option for a further year, becoming one of the most expensive signings in the club’s history.
The transfer package includes add-ons and a sell-on percentage for Portland Timbers. While the precise structure has not been publicly confirmed by Rangers, the reported initial fee places Kelsy behind only Tore André Flo’s £12 million move from Chelsea in 2000 among the club’s most expensive purchases.
Kelsy arrives to strengthen Rangers’ forward options after Youssef Chermiti suffered a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury against Hibernian. Chermiti is expected to face a lengthy absence, and Kelsy gives manager Derek McInnes another physical central-forward option for the season ahead.
Standing at 6ft 4in, Kelsy joins Rangers after developing in Major League Soccer with Portland Timbers. He previously played for Shakhtar Donetsk and had a loan spell with FC Cincinnati. Reports differ on his exact Portland record, so the safest confirmed description is that he improved his scoring return in MLS, with BBC reporting 16 goals in 53 appearances.
Rangers were also working to complete the loan signing of Stuttgart winger Badredine Bouanani before Scotland’s 5:00 PM transfer deadline. The 21-year-old had travelled to Scotland and was undergoing a medical, with reports indicating that the proposed season-long deal included an option to buy worth €18 million. At the time of the reports, however, the move had not yet been officially confirmed and should not be presented as complete.
Kelsy’s arrival was Rangers’ 13th confirmed signing of the summer, with Bouanani potentially set to become the 14th if the deal was completed. The Venezuelan’s combination of size, mobility and developing goal threat gives McInnes another option at centre-forward as Rangers seek to compete at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
