According to The Athletic, Rangers are signing Orange County talent Francis Jacobs in an exciting move.
The report notes that Jacobs is the youngest professional player in US soccer history, given that he doesn’t even turn 16 until March.
Jacobs is playing in the USL Championship right now, the division below the MLS, and he turned pro back in August 2019 having shown huge potential.
Jacobs’ move to Ibrox has been helped by him already having a UK passport, and Rangers have seemingly been plotting this move for some time.
The Gers have had strong ties to Orange County for some time now, and they used their link to take extended looks at Jacobs more than a year ago.
Orange County’s official website noted that Jacobs had a trial spell with Rangers in December 2019, which is where the interest seemingly started.
He then played for Rangers in the Alkass International Cup in Doha, an Under-16 tournament that gave the Gers a glimpse of his quality.
More than a year on, Rangers appear to have finally got their man. It’s an exciting move for the future, and one that the Gers have clearly spent a lot of time on having regkstered their interest some time ago.
Primarily a central midfielder, Jacobs will now look to follow in the footsteps of compatriots Carlos Bocanegra, Maurice Edu, DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Polster, Gedion Zelalem, Claudio Reyna, Alejandro Bedoya and Emerson Hyndman in turning out for Rangers’ first team.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
