Gokulam Kerala FC sign Rahul Raju on a Permanent Deal

I-League side Gokulam Kerala FC has signed Bengaluru FC Reserves player Rahul Raju on a three-year deal, Halfway Football has learned.

“Gokulam Kerala has triggered the buyout clause in the loan deal of Rahul Raju in January. He has signed a three-year deal. He’s attracting multiple interests from ISL, but mostly likely to stay with GKFC for the upcoming season,” a source tracking the transfer informed Halfway Football.

Rahul Raju joined the Malabarians on a loan transfer from Bengaluru FC after a scintillating RF Developmental League campaign. The Kerala-born forward scored seven goals in seven games in the 2022 Reliance Foundational Developmental League.

After signing for Gokulam Kerala FC ahead of the 2022-23 I-League season, he played in multiple positions as a midfielder and as a winger. He scored a goal in 19 I-League games, had a passing accuracy of 81%, and won 55% of the duels.

Multiple ISL clubs were interested in signing the 19-year-old talented Rahul Raju, but he decided to stay with the two-time I-League champions Gokulam Kerala FC, signing a permanent multi-year deal.