According to The Athletic, Scottish Premiership giants Rangers have completed a deal to sign Orange County teenage midfielder Francis Jacobs, and he is expected to move to Ibrox later this year.
The 15-year-old became the youngest professional player in United States football history after turning professional in August 2019 at the age of 14 years, four months and 29 days.
Rangers took Jacobs with them to Doha last year when the club’s under-16s went to play the Alkass International Cup, and he was one of three players to travel to Scotland for a training stint with the Light Blues in December 2019.
USL Championship outfit Orange County are in a partnership with the Light Blues, and they will be hoping that their academy graduate can make the grade at Rangers.
Jacobs stands at almost six feet tall, and he could be mistaken for an older player due to his impressive physicality.
The midfielder has a UK passport and that has made the deal straightforward, and he has impressed Rangers coaches during his trials to warrant being given a contract.
The deal is believed to include a sizeable sell-on clause for the USL club, and it will be interesting to see whether he can break into the first-team going forward.
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Adding another exciting prospect to their ever-growing list of talented teenagers in the academy is a great move on the part of Rangers, and they are definitely preparing for the future with some smart signings.
Steven Gerrard’s side have dominated the Scottish Premiership this term following 26 wins and four draws in 30 games, and they are now seven points away from winning their first top-flight title in 10 years.
Rangers will be keen to make more quality first-team signings this summer as they prepare to defend the title next term, and it will be interesting to see how things go in the coming months.
In other news, here is how Chris Sutton reacted to Rangers’ win over Royal Antwerp.
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