Rangers have completed the signing of Venezuelan international forward Kevin Kelsy from MLS side Portland Timbers, in a transfer worth $13m (£9.5m) that could rise further depending on performance-related add-ons, according to a source with direct knowledge of the agreement. The deal, first reported in detail by The Athletic's Tom Bogert, also includes a sell-on clause benefiting Portland.
The 22-year-old Kelsy arrived at the Timbers in January after the club paid Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk $6m for his services. Since then he has shown flashes of inconsistency but overall delivered solid returns, netting 16 goals in 43 appearances for Portland. The fee Rangers have paid represents a club-record sale for the Timbers going the other way, and one the MLS side ultimately could not refuse despite having no real intention of losing the striker this summer.
The move comes as Rangers boss Derek McInnes has been actively pushing the club's hierarchy to bring in fresh attacking options before the transfer window closes. That need became more urgent after Portuguese forward Youssef Chermiti suffered an ACL injury in early August, ruling him out for an extended period. Kelsy's arrival is intended to help address a struggling Rangers attack that has failed to fire so far this season.
Kelsy is set to travel to Glasgow in the coming days to complete a medical and finalize the paperwork, though his integration into the squad will not be immediate — visa processing means he is highly unlikely to be available for Rangers' league fixture away to Aberdeen this coming Sunday, a match that pits two struggling sides against each other near the bottom half of the table.
Rangers' season has started poorly. The club sits ninth in the Scottish Premiership without a win from their opening two league fixtures, and their continental campaign took a hit after a Europa League qualifying defeat to Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok dropped them into the Uefa Conference League instead. McInnes has already brought in Japanese winger Daisuke Yokota this window in an effort to freshen up the squad, and the arrival of former Girona man Kim Min-su is also expected imminently.
On the outgoing side, Rangers are also dealing with uncertainty surrounding Belgian international midfielder Nicolas Raskin. The 25-year-old, who joined from Standard Liège in 2023, did not travel with the squad for their Conference League playoff second leg against Czech side Jablonec, having also been absent for the first leg at Ibrox, which Rangers won 1-0. Raskin's omission is reportedly linked to interest from Turkish giants Galatasaray, with a move away from Ibrox looking increasingly possible before the window shuts.
For Portland, the departure of Kelsy is somewhat softened by the fact that the club already strengthened its forward line this summer with the signing of Vincent Janssen, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Monterrey striker. The Timbers, who are ninth in the MLS Western Conference and fighting to stay in playoff contention, could look to make further additions before their own transfer window closes. The club has already been through change this year, parting ways with head coach Phil Neville during the World Cup break before appointing former Leicester City and QPR manager Martí Cifuentes in July.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.