Defender Likmabam Rakesh has signed a three-year contract with Kerala Blasters. The 21-year-old from Manipur becomes the Blasters' second summer signing after 19-year-old goalkeeper Som Kumar joined them last week.
Rakesh, a native of Manipur, began his professional. career with NEROCA FC before joining the Bengaluru FC academy in 2018. He represented Bengaluru at the U-16, and U-18 levels and was part of their reserves squad.
Rakesh returned to NEROCA in 2022 and made more than 40 appearances in the I-League, Durand Cup and Super Cup qualifiers.
“We are delighted to welcome Likmabam Rakesh to Kerala Blasters. This season, he has shown a lot of potential, allowing us to believe that he can be a valuable player for us in the future. At this moment Rakesh and our attention is on finding the best way forward for his development,” said the Blasters' Sporting Director, Karolis Skinkys.