Rangers Deadline Day Drama: Kelsy Joins and Bouanani Nears

What was supposed to be a tidy, controlled finish to Rangers’ window has turned into a full‑blown deadline-day scramble at Ibrox.

Derek McInnes thought Kevin Kelsy would be the full stop. Instead, the Venezuelan striker has become the starting gun.

Kelsy deal finally over the line

The wait is over. Kevin Kelsy is a Rangers player.

The move from Portland Timbers has been in motion for weeks, ever since Youssef Chermiti’s ACL tear against Hibs ripped a hole in McInnes’ forward line and ruled the striker out until at least after New Year. Kelsy was identified as the direct replacement, the man to carry the load Chermiti was supposed to shoulder.

The fee underlines that status. MLS insider Tom Bogert confirmed the deal as done, with Rangers paying around £9.5 million plus add-ons – a huge sale for Portland and a serious outlay from Ibrox. The late snag centred on the player’s share of the transfer fee, but that has now been resolved after Kelsy travelled to Europe several days ago.

For a support that had grown twitchy waiting on the announcement, the reassurance is simple: the deal is complete, and the striker is in the building.

McInnes had hinted Kelsy might be the last arrival. The day has moved on him.

Bouanani at the door

The “one other little thing” McInnes teased after the win over Falkirk now has a name and a face.

Badredine Bouanani.

The Stuttgart winger, who had been on course for Strasbourg, is now closing in on a loan move to Rangers with an option to buy set at around €18 million. That clause would represent a huge potential investment for the club and could even become a Scottish record fee if it is ever activated.

Bouanani has already touched down in Scotland and is undergoing his medical as the clock ticks towards the 5pm Scottish deadline. The deal has to be signed off today.

Rangers fans know exactly what he can do. At 21, he has already scored at Ibrox, netting for Nice in that bruising 4-1 Europa League win over Philippe Clement’s Rangers in 2024. Stuttgart took him after that, but now he is on the brink of a return to Glasgow, this time in blue.

If Rangers pull the trigger on the option further down the line, it would be a statement of intent not just for this season, but for the club’s entire transfer model.

Bajraktarevic in the frame

Bouanani may not be the only wide player on the agenda.

Esmir Bajraktarevic has emerged as another live option on deadline day, with Rangers in discussions with PSV. The 21-year-old, born in the United States but a Bosnia and Herzegovina international, only joined the Dutch club from New England Revolution in January 2025 and is under contract until 2029.

Rangers have done their homework. Recruitment staff, with Dan Purdy heavily involved, have conducted extensive work on the winger. They are not alone in admiring him, though. PSV reporter Rik Elfrink has already stated the player “could still leave”, but there is competition for his signature, and any Ibrox move would need to accelerate quickly.

As Rangers weigh up their final attacking move, Bajraktarevic sits firmly on the radar.

Cerny door closes

One name can now be scrubbed off the list.

Vaclav Cerny will not be returning to Ibrox. The Czech winger, previously linked with another stint in Glasgow after his spell at the club, is not expected to complete a move from Besiktas.

The numbers and the player’s own stance have combined to kill it. Cerny’s salary and his reluctance to walk away from Turkey, where he benefits from favourable tax arrangements, have effectively ended any chance of a deal. McInnes will have to look elsewhere for width.

Aasgaard leads the exodus

While Rangers work furiously on arrivals, the exits are stacking up.

Thelo Aasgaard has joined Anderlecht on loan with a €6 million purchase clause, following Connor Barron and Lyall Cameron out of the door. Aasgaard, who had also been linked with Bodo/Glimt, will spend the season in Belgium and reunites with former Rangers teammate Oliver Antman, who moved earlier in the summer.

Barron has completed his switch to Middlesbrough, while Cameron has joined Dundee United for the campaign. Three players out, three squad slots and wage spaces freed up. The reshaping of McInnes’ group is not subtle.

Clinton Nsiala is expected to follow. The defender is set for a loan to Pafos in Cyprus, where he would link up with former Brazil and Chelsea defender David Luiz. Bursaspor have also shown interest, but the Cypriot move is currently the likeliest destination.

McCausland, Souttar and Munn in the shop window

The trimming may not stop there.

Ross McCausland is available for a loan, with Bursaspor among the clubs keen on the winger. John Souttar is another who could leave before the Scottish deadline, with MLS sides and several Premiership clubs monitoring the Scotland international’s situation and considering loan approaches.

Behind them, the goalkeeping department is also shifting. Mason Munn has slipped down the pecking order after the arrival of Ivor Pandur, now sitting behind Pandur, Liam Kelly and teenager Rydnn McGuire. Munn’s previous loans at Dunfermline and Forfar failed to catch fire; Rangers want a temporary move that finally gives him regular senior minutes.

Miovski and Cifuentes stay put

Not everyone linked with a move is packing their bags.

Bojan Miovski looks increasingly likely to stay. Routes out involving Feyenoord, LASK and Genclerbirligi have all cooled, leaving the striker on course to remain part of McInnes’ squad beyond the deadline. Only a late move from Greece or another league with a longer window would change that picture.

Jose Cifuentes will also stay, at least until January. The midfielder is still recovering from surgery after his loan spell with Toronto FC and is not expected to move before this window closes.

Raskin saga swings back to Ibrox

Then there is Nicolas Raskin.

The Belgian midfielder has been at the centre of one of Rangers’ more dramatic stories of the summer. A proposed loan to Besiktas with an option to buy fell apart, and now the Turkish club have seen a €12 million permanent offer rejected as well.

Raskin missed matchday squads against Jablonec and Aberdeen amid the uncertainty but returned to the team against Falkirk. McInnes has been clear about his view of the player.

“Nico has been first class,” the manager said. “Since he’s come back from the World Cup, he’s been good as gold, trained brilliantly.

“There has been a lot of chat with potential interest and a lot of conversation had with the club with prospective buyers.

“But until an offer comes in that the club needs to consider, then Nico just has to knuckle down and train.

“He’s been brilliant, and I have no doubts if the window closes and Nico is still a Rangers player, then he will give brilliant service as he has previously.”

Right now, that is exactly where the situation is heading. From likely departure to likely cornerstone again, Raskin’s Rangers story has twisted sharply in a matter of days.

Final hours, high stakes

So the landscape at Ibrox has shifted, fast.

Kelsy is in for around £9.5 million plus add-ons, a major signing to plug the gap left by Chermiti. Bouanani is closing in on a loan with a hefty €18 million option to buy. Bajraktarevic remains on the table as Rangers consider one last attacking swing.

At the same time, Aasgaard, Barron and Cameron have gone, Nsiala is poised to leave, and the club is open to loans for McCausland, Souttar and Munn. Miovski, Cifuentes and Raskin, once all seen as possible departures, now look set to form part of McInnes’ core.

The Scottish window shuts at 5pm on Thursday. A day that was supposed to drift quietly to a close has erupted into a frantic reshaping of a squad with serious ambitions.

The only question left is simple: when the shutters finally come down, will this be remembered as the day Rangers merely tinkered – or the day they transformed the trajectory of their season?