Rangers have confirmed the signing of striker Cyriel Dessers from Cremonese, subject to international clearance.
The 28-year-old has penned a four-year deal at Ibrox until 2027 and moves to Glasgow for an undisclosed fee, believed to be worth an initial €5m (£4.3m) plus €1.5m (£1.3m) in add-ons.
Dessers becomes Michael Beale's sixth signing of the summer transfer window after Kieran Dowell, Dujon Sterling, Jack Butland, Sam Lammers and Abdallah Sima, the latter of whom has joined on loan.
Speaking to Rangers' official website on his arrival at Ibrox, Dessers said: "I am really happy, it is a big relief to finally be here. There have been some long days and some stressful days, but it is a great feeling to finally be here.
"The history of the club, the fans, the stadium, it's massive but next to that I look at what is here at this moment.
💙 Welcome to #RangersFC, @CyrielDessers. pic.twitter.com/2lDHssXTWl
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) July 6, 2023
"I had really good talks with Michael Beale about his plans, the ideas of what he wants on and off the pitch and I thought that could be a really good fit for me and for the team so I am happy to be here."
Beale added: "We are delighted to have Cyriel joining our club. He brings a lot of experience from playing in Holland, Belgium and Italy, as well as in European competitions.
"We were looking for a very specific profile and believe that Cyriel will give us a variety of qualities both in and out of possession. When we met, we spoke at length about his alignment to our style of play and the other forwards we have in our squad.
"At 28-years-old, he is at a good age and will bring personality and leadership to our team. Cyriel pushed extremely hard to make this transfer a reality and showed a huge desire to come here.
"We are very happy to have him and his family joining us at Rangers. He is an excellent addition to our squad and I look forward to working with him closely over the coming seasons."
Worth the wait 😉 pic.twitter.com/sRCEobSSa4
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) July 6, 2023
Born in Belgium, Dessers is a four-cap Nigeria international who spent the early stages of his career in the Belgian Pro-League with OH Leuven, Lokeren and Genk, before moving to the Netherlands to represent NAC Breda, Utrecht, Heracles Almelo and Feyenoord.
Dessers ended the 2021-22 campaign as the Europa Conference League's top goalscorer with 10 goals during a loan spell with Feyenoord, before moving to Italy to join Cremonese on a permanent deal last summer.
The striker scored 10 goals in 32 games for Cremonese across all competitions, but he was unable to help the Serie A club avoid relegation.
Dessers is now embarking on a fresh challenge in Scotland and could make his debut for Rangers when they travel to Kilmarnock for their opening Premiership game of the 2023-24 season on August 5.
Oliver Thomas
