Girona's Kim Min-su Nearing Move to Scottish Giants Rangers

Young forward Kim Min-su, born in 2006 (20 years old), is reportedly on the verge of leaving Spain's second-division side Girona to join Scottish powerhouse Rangers.

Global sports media outlet The Athletic reported on the 24th (local time) that "Rangers are closing in on the signing of Kim Min-su," adding, "Girona winger Kim Min-su will soon travel to Scotland to finalize his move to Rangers for 10 million euros."

Scotland's The Scottish Sun also reported that "Rangers are on the verge of a deal worth 8.5 million pounds for South Korean winger Kim Min-su," and stated, "A medical is underway, and Kim is scheduled to arrive in Glasgow, Scotland, on the 25th to sign a long-term contract."

The transfer fee mentioned in the reports is equivalent to approximately 16 billion Korean won.

This corresponds to the buyout amount included in Kim's contract with Girona (the minimum fee required to permit a transfer during the contract period), which Rangers have decided to pay in full.

According to British media outlet TEAMtalk, Kim's transfer fee is the second-highest in Rangers club history, following the 12 million pounds paid to Chelsea (England) in November 2000 to sign Norwegian forward Tore André Flo.

Rangers initially pursued the signing of Couhaib Driouech from PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), but abandoned negotiations due to concerns over his physical condition and chose Kim as an alternative.

Local media outlets projected that if there are no issues with medical tests or administrative procedures, Kim could make his debut for Rangers in an away match against Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership on the 30th.

Kim's primary position is winger, and he is an attacking resource who can also play as a striker.

Having joined the youth team of Girona, then in Spain's La Liga, in the summer of 2022, Kim made his debut for the B team that October and steadily established himself as a key player for the team.

While adapting to the European stage with Girona's B team competing in Spain's fifth tier, Kim rarely joined the first team due to La Liga regulations allowing a maximum of three non-European Union players to be registered in the first-team squad.

After extending his contract with Girona until 2027 in August 2024, he finally made his La Liga debut as a substitute in a home match against Real Sociedad for the 10th round of the 2024-2025 season in October of that year, amidst a string of injuries to key players.

However, his playing opportunities remained limited thereafter, and after finishing the season with appearances in 3 La Liga matches, 2 Copa del Rey matches, and 1 UEFA Champions League match, he was loaned to La Liga 2 side Andorra in July of last year.

Kim delivered an impressive performance last season by playing 40 La Liga 2 matches for Andorra, recording 6 goals and 4 assists.

After returning to Girona, which was relegated to La Liga 2 this season, he started in both of the team's league matches.

(Photo: Girona club SNS, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.