Rangers Sign Winger Minsu Kim from Girona for £8.5m
Rangers have landed winger Minsu Kim from Girona in an £8.5m deal, completing a four-year move that includes an option for a further 12 months and underlining the scale of their summer rebuild.
The 20-year-old becomes Rangers’ 12th signing of a frantic window, with striker Kevin Kelsy expected to follow after the Ibrox club agreed a £9.2m fee with Portland Timbers ahead of the 3 September deadline.
Kim arrives with winning intent
Kim, a South Korea international, will not feature in Thursday night’s Conference League play-off second leg against Jablonec, having been left out of the European squad. His first appearance could instead come at Pittodrie against Aberdeen on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, a potentially fiery introduction to Scottish football.
The winger joined Girona in 2022 and climbed quickly. After catching the eye with the B team, he made his La Liga debut in October 2024, then stepped onto the Champions League stage a month later. Last season he spent time on loan at La Liga 2 side Andorra, where he scored six goals and supplied four assists.
Kim made no attempt to hide his excitement at the move.
"I'm so happy to sign for Rangers. I know it's a big club with great, great fans," he said.
"I want to help the team to be better every day, to be a good person, and to do everything I can to help the team win everything that comes our way.
"I have a lot of excitement and I believe I have the mentality of a winner. I want to face whatever comes next head-on and I'm going to give the club what it deserves."
Manager Derek McInnes believes Kim fits exactly what Rangers have been searching for in the final third.
"We are delighted to welcome Minsu to Rangers. Strengthening our options in the forward areas has been a real target and focus for us throughout this window, and we believe he will add another exciting dimension to the squad," McInnes said.
"Minsu is a talented young player with excellent technical ability, energy and a real desire to develop, and we are looking forward to working with him."
Raskin left at home as interest grows
While one player walks through the door, another edges closer to the exit.
Nicolas Raskin has not travelled to the Czech Republic for the second leg against Jablonec, with McInnes confirming the Belgian’s absence is down to intensifying transfer interest rather than injury.
Sky Sports News revealed on Monday that clubs across Europe and England are tracking the 25-year-old, with Atalanta and Real Betis among those previously linked earlier in the window. Fresh interest is understood to have emerged from sides in Spain, Italy, France and England.
Raskin still has two years remaining on his Ibrox contract, giving Rangers a strong hand as the clock ticks down on the window.
"Nico hasn't travelled. Nothing to do with injury or anything like that, just the potential of a transfer, potentially," McInnes explained.
"I just think we're so late in the window, maybe it's something the club's looking at. He's trained this morning but has been left back in Glasgow.
"When I came into the job, it was quite clear that there was going to be an opportunity for Nico. There's been plenty of interest in him. We believe that interest has stepped up over the last couple of days, so something may or may not happen.
"If Nico stays beyond the window, then it would be great to work with him. But if he doesn't, we wish him well."
Rangers hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg against Jablonec as they chase a place in the Conference League group stage. The stakes are high, and so are the decisions.
Asked if Raskin’s possible departure could trigger another midfield signing, despite three additions in that area already this summer, McInnes chose his words carefully.
"In certain areas of the pitch, we're a bit stronger than others. I think everything moves on," he said.
"Nico served the club well. There's obviously an opportunity for him and the club to capitalise on that for a transfer fee. I don't really want to say too much about Nico at the minute until, if and when, something happens.
"It's still an if rather than a certainty. So maybe we can comment a bit more on that if something happens."
For now, Rangers stride into a pivotal European night with a new winger waiting in the wings, a key midfielder in limbo, and a transfer window that still has time to twist again.
