Here are Thursday morning’s most recent transfer rumours involving Rangers, Celtic, and other teams in Scottish football.
Celtic “agreed” to pay for a three-cap international
After reaching an agreement with Nordsjaelland on a price for winger Benjamin Nygren, Celtic is getting closer to making their second summer acquisition. After scoring 16 goals in 30 games for the Danish Superliga team, the 23-year-old attracted Brendan Rodgers’ attention. According to Anthony Joseph, a journalist for Sky Sports, the club has now agreed to pay £1.7 million to bring him to Celtic Park.
The Parkhead club have already confirmed the return of Scotland international left-back Kieran Tierney, and will now ‘look to finalize’ a deal for Nygren, who is reported to have already agreed terms on a contract with the champions. Expected to offer competition on the wings, Celtic are said to have beaten off several clubs to the signing of the Swedish international, whose contract expires in six months. The player has garnered interest from across Europe after scoring two goals in his first three international games for Sweden, while he also landed a place in the Superliga Team of the Year.
Celtic also remain in talks with Royal Antwerp over a deal for Michel-Ange Balikwisha, with 24-year-old winger ‘keen’ on a move, according to transfer guru Sacha Tavolieri.
Trio circle for ex-Rangers ace
Former Rangers midfielder Tom Lawrence is being chased by a trio of EFL Championship clubs following his Ibrox release last month, according to several reports. The Welsh midfielder spent three years at Rangers, but struggled with injury throughout his time in Glasgow. Lawrence left the club this summer after scoring 21 goals in 130 appearances for the club after arriving from Derby County in July 2022.
The ex-Manchester United academy product had spent the bulk of his career in the English second tier prior to his move to Rangers, and now looks set to return to the league, with West Bromwich Albion, Wrexham and Coventry City all mulling over a deal for Lawrence. It appears Wrexham have the strongest interest though, with the newly promoted side offered him an emotional move to his hometown club, alongside a competitive salary.
Hibs in ‘advanced talks’ over exit
Hibs are ready to allow striker Dylan Vente leave the club on a permanent basis this summer, with talks over a move to Heerenveen believed to be an ‘advanced stage’. The 26-year-old striker cost the Leith outfit around £700,000 upon his arrival from Dutch outfit Roda JC in 2023, but struggled to make his mark at Easter Road, finding the net just 10 times in two seasons.
The Suriname international rediscovered his goal scoring touch last season after making a loan move to PEC Zwolle though, bagging 13 goals in 30 Eredivisie games, leading Heerenveen to pounce for the forward this summer. Reports claims Hibs will make a profit on the striker, though no fee has been confirmed as yet.
Hearts ‘complete medical’
Hearts boss Derek McInnes is expected to complete the signing of former Scotland international Stuart Findlay, with the centre-back reported to have completed his medical on Tynecastle ahead of a loan move from Oxford United. As per Sky Sports, the ex-Kilmarnock defender is due to link up with his former boss McInnes in Gorgie on a deal until the end of the season, before agreeing a permanent transfer next summer when his contract expires at the Kassam Stadium.
The transfer will be the Jambos sixth signing of the summer, having already completed deals for Christian Borchgrevink, Alexandros Kyziridis, Elton Kabangu, Oisin McEntee and Cláudio Braga. Hearts have also confirmed that goalkeeper Ryan Fulton has signed a one-year contract extension with the club, subject to Scottish FA approval.
Rangers want duo to stay following Russell Martin decision
Rangers head coach Russell Martin is keen to hang onto Hamza Igamane and Nicolas Raskin next season, with the ex-Southampton boss hoping he can build his new Ibrox team around the duo amid reported interest in their services from the English Premier League. According to a report from Pete O’Rouke, Martin has identified the pair as a vital cog in his Rangers starting XI, though the club are ‘susceptible to big offers’ despite their recent takeover from Andrew Cavenagh’s consortium.
Igamane has been linked with Everton in recent weeks, though it has been reported that Rangers would ask for a ‘huge price’ in order to allow him to leave this summer, with fellow forward Cyriel Dessers in talks over a move to AEK Athens. Belgian international Raskin has also been linked to the English top flight, with a report from Flemish site Het Nieuwsblad claiming Aston Villa had opened talks with the 24-year-old over a move to the Midlands. They claim Villa boss Unai Emery is keen to reunite Raskin with his international teammates Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana and that the deal will be dependant on “negotiations between the clubs and the ambitions of Raskin himself.”
Celtic condition set for striking target
Celtic have been told there is a realistic chance they could complete an ambitious transfer for Republic Of Ireland international striker Evan Ferguson – but only if other clubs opt against making an offer for the 20-year-old this summer. The young striker, who was valued at around £100million when he burst onto the scene just two seasons ago, has fallen down the pecking order at Brighton, and struggled to make an impact on loan to West Ham United in the second-half of last season, failing to score in eight appearances at the London Stadium. It is understood that the Seagulls are open to offloading the young striker on a permanent basis this summer.
A boyhood Celtic fan, Ferguson has been loosely linked with the Hoops over the last 12 months as he looks to reignite his stuttering career, but a permanent move would likely prove difficult to complete due to the high price Brighton are expected demand for his services. However, according to a new report from Record Sport’s Keith Jackson, Celtic could swoop in for a loan deal should Ferguson remain available during the final moments of the summer transfer window.
