Rangers have held initial talks over a deal to sign Portland Timbers striker Kevin Kelsy this summer.

The Light Blues have had a difficult start to the season so far, losing to Jagiellonia Bialystok in the Europa League qualifying round, while they also failed to win either of their opening Scottish Premiership games against Dundee United and Hibernian.

The Glasgow side were also rocked by news this past weekend that striker Youssef Chermiti will miss the whole season after rupturing his ACL during the clash with Hibs, and the club are now working hard to bring in a replacement before the transfer window slams shut on September 1st.

According to a report by Chris Jack of the Rangers Review, Rangers have made contact with MLS outfit Portland Timbers over a deal to sign Kevin Kelsy.

Kelsy is a Venezuela international and has been a key player for the Timbers this season, netting nine goals in 17 appearances so far in their campaign. It’s understood that any deal would take a ‘significant fee’ to get it over the line at this stage of the window, and the 22-year-old is one of a number of names being considered for the position.

New manager Derek McInnes has already brought in Lawrence Shankland this summer, but Chermiti was expected to play a huge role in their season, having been the club’s top scorer last year, and with a £22m bid from Galatasaray rejected just before his injury.

GIVEMEPORT sources understand that Sheffield United striker Ryan One was a target, but talks have now halted after a loan-to-buy bid was rejected, while there have also been reports of interest in former striker Rory Wilson.

Rangers are looking at potential options for a loan deal as well as a permanent deal, and Kelsy is seen as the perfect profile to replace Chermiti’s style and attributes, which will now be unavailable for the vast majority of the season.

Kelsy ‘One of the Best Young Strikers’

Kelsy has previously had short spells at Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Cincinnati, but his time at Portland Timbers has seen the best version of his qualities.

Upon making the move to Portland, then manager Phil Neville was full of praise for the Venezuelan, even describing him as ‘one of the best young strikers in the world’.

“We’re excited to have him. He has the pace, strength, creativity, and he scores goals. His potential fits in perfectly with the young group we have in Portland.”

Statistics courtesy of WhoScored – correct as of 13/08/2026.

Recent years haven’t seen incredible drama at the top, with the 2021/22 season the last to break into the greatest title races in Premier League history, but that doesn’t mean it has been engrossing all the same.

The 2023/24 campaign saw Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool chase glory, before the latter two sides romped to victory in the following seasons, but fans will be intrigued by the changing of the guard in 2026, with a record-high of new managers, the exit of Pep Guardiola and Arsenal, who won the title for the time in over two decades, aiming to retain their crown.

Despite the new storylines, this season is a season like any other. It typically requires a high number of points to win the division. But how many points does it usually take to lift the Premier League?

Points Needed to Win the Premier League

Average: 87.6

There have been 31 Premier League winners ever since the debut campaign of the reformated English top-flight. On average, it has required the title-lifting team to pick up 87.6 points.

Manchester United have won the division more than any other side, doing so on 13 occasions (averaging 85 points). Manchester City are second with eight triumphs, but average more points (91.5); while Chelsea are next on five wins (90 points); then Arsenal with four titles (85 points); Liverpool (91.5) won the title twice, while Leicester City (81) and Blackburn Rovers (89) have lifted the prize just once.

Fascinatingly, in the first seven years of the Premier League, an average of 82.71 points was needed to win the whole thing, even despite seasons between 1992/93 and 1994/95 having 42 rounds of fixtures. In comparison, the last seven title wins have seen the Champions earn an average of 89.6 points – showing just how much harder it is to be successful in the modern era.

This is largely down to the arrival of Pep Guardiola in England. His era at Manchester City team saw his team win six of the seven Premier League titles from the 2017/18 season until their triumph in 2024. More history was made when they became the first club to win four titles in a row, with the Etihad outfit – albeit with 115 charges against their team – clinching it alongside a first treble in the 2023/24 campaign.

Points Needed to Win 2026/27 Season

Arsenal triumphed with 85 last season

The lowest tally ever needed to win a Premier League title was Man United, doing so in 1996/97 with a tally of just 75. For the upcoming 2026/27 season, that figure would likely land you comfortably in the top four, but certainly not in contention to win the title after 38 games.

As previously mentioned, the average figure of 87.6 points will typically land you the crown. Interestingly, that hasn’t been hit in the past two seasons, as Liverpool (84) and Arsenal (85) have watched their rivals fade away earlier than in more tightly-contested title races.

One trend that has been more noticeable in the past two years is the increased strength of the league in terms of depth. While promoted teams have struggled in recent years — disregarding Sunderland and Leeds United‘s efforts in 25/26 — increased funds have resulted in better squads across the board and more competitiveness, directly affecting title-chasing sides.

What is unlikely to change anytime soon is the English top-flight’s reputation as the best league in the world. Sure, Enzo Maresca‘s Man City and Mikel Arteta‘s Arsenal look like title-chasing teams in 2026, but there are question marks surrounding both for different reasons. Regardless, we can expect a highly-competitive season full of twists and turns as the incredibly high-level across the board makes for an even more unpredictable campaign.