Rangers have signed South African centre-back Olwethu Makhanya from Philadelphia Union, making him the club's eighth arrival of the summer window.

The 22-year-old defender joins for an undisclosed fee, arriving from Major League Soccer after 53 appearances for the Union. Makhanya began his professional career with Stellenbosch in his native South Africa before making the move across the Atlantic.

The Athletic first reported on July 28 that Rangers were closing in on a deal, and the club have now confirmed it. The Athletic

Makhanya is a full South African international and was named in the country's 2026 World Cup squad, though he did not take the pitch during the finals. That tournament exposure — training and travelling with a World Cup camp — is the kind of experience Rangers will hope serves a young defender stepping into a league where the spotlight rarely dims. BBC Sport

He arrives under manager Derek McInnes, who has been busy reshaping his squad ahead of the new campaign. Rangers are due to open their Scottish Premiership season away at Dundee United on a Friday night — a fixture that demands readiness from the first whistle, with no gentle easing-in at Ibrox.

Eight signings in a single window is a clear statement of intent, and Makhanya fits a profile McInnes seems to be chasing: young, internationally capped, and already tested in a top-flight league abroad rather than a prospect straight out of an academy. At 22, he has time to grow. At Rangers, he will not have long to settle.

For Makhanya, the move means trading one of MLS's most stable organisations for one of Britain's most demanding environments. Rangers fans expect intensity, physical commitment, and clean sheets — and they expect them quickly. Whether he starts at Tannadice on opening night or eases in from the bench is a decision McInnes will weigh over the coming days.