Rangers land Kelsy for club-record fee as Celtic scramble on deadline day

Rangers will pay Portland Timbers $13m (£9.6m) plus add-ons for Venezuela striker Kevin Kelsy, with a sell-on percentage agreed, in a deal that makes the 22-year-old the most expensive outgoing transfer in the MLS club's history (BBC Sport; The Guardian).

The fee, confirmed on deadline day, drew weeks of speculation to a close. BBC Sport first reported Rangers' interest on 18 August. Sky Sports had Kelsy undergoing his medical by 1 September after a deal worth around £9m was struck. The final figure landed slightly higher, with an up-front component reported at €10.7 million (Transfermarkt).

Kelsy, capped by Venezuela at international level, gives Rangers a forward still young enough to carry resale value — a consideration that sits awkwardly alongside the pointed remarks of former Ibrox striker Kris Boyd. Boyd says he cannot understand why Rangers have been unable to sell key assets such as Belgium midfielder Nico Raskin, arguing the club should be cashing in on players whose value is at or near its peak (BBC Sport).

Across the city, Celtic had a quieter deadline day — but not for want of trying. The club reached an advanced stage in talks with Torino over midfielder Gvidas Gineitis, only for negotiations to stall without an agreement (BBC Sport).

A late loan bid to bring left-back Greg Taylor back from Greek side PAOK also failed. Celtic were unable to reach a deal with the Thessaloniki club, closing off a reunion with a player who left Glasgow earlier in the window (BBC Sport).

Celtic did bank incoming funds. Reo Hatate completed a move to Burnley on Tuesday for £6.5m plus add-ons, ending the Japanese midfielder's time in Glasgow's east end (BBC Sport).

One possible incoming target remains open. Former Southampton midfielder Will Smallbone, now a free agent, has emerged as a player of interest to Celtic — though no deal was finalised before the window closed (BBC Sport).

Away from the Old Firm, Dundee held firm on their own deadline business. The club rejected approaches for midfielder Ethan Hamilton, with Aberdeen among the interested parties turned away (BBC Sport).

For Rangers fans, Kelsy's arrival is the statement signing of the window — a young international striker brought in for serious money, with the promise that his best years are ahead of him. For Celtic supporters, the picture is more mixed: money in for Hatate, but two targets missed and a free-agent move for Smallbone still hanging.

Both squads are now set until January. The football, as ever, will do the talking.