Celtic boss quizzed on Hatate talks as ex Rangers star reveals Celtic transfer influence

Rangers advanced safely to the Viaplay Cup semi-finals after recording a dominant 4-0 win over Livingston on Wednesday night, while Celtic are preparing for their latest Scottish Premiership fixture against Motherwell this weekend.

Meanwhile, transfer rumours continue to circulate online, with Brendan Rodgers offering his take on how talks over a new deal for a key midfielder are progressing and a former Rangers midfielder has spoken of how he may have influenced Scott Allan’s decision to sign for Celtic.

Here are the latest Celtic and Rangers transfer news headlines on Thursday, September 28:

Celtic boss quizzed on Reo Hatate new deal talks

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers admits he doesn’t know how close Reo Hatate is to reaching an agreement with the club over a new contract.

Reports earlier this week suggested the Japanese midfielder was closing in on penning a new long-term deal with the Hoops - with the Scottish champions locked in talks with Hatate’s representatives over a number of weeks.

Celtic initially wanted the 25-year-old to commit his future to the Parkhead giants before the summer transfer window closed, but Hatate’s preference was to wait until after deadline day as rumours surrarounding interest from elsewhere continued to swirl.

Rodgers admitted he would have to speak with CEO Michael Nicholson to get an update on how the discussions are progressing. Speaking ahead of Saturday’s Premiership clash against Motherwell at Fir Park, he said: “I haven’t been made aware of that.

“I’ll speak to Michael for the latest but in fairness to the club, the club have been reaching out to the agent for quite some time. But where it’s at, I don’t know at this point.”

Ex Rangers star reveals Scott Allan Celtic transfer influence

Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday believes he was one of the reasons why Scott Allan opted to join Celtic - after talking to him on the pitch during a Rangers versus Hibs clash just days before his eventual move to Parkhead.

Allan was the subject of three failed bids - the final offer being just over £250,000 - from the Ibrox side in the summer of 2015 shortly after being named Scottish Championship ‘Young Player of the Year’. He submitted a transfer request to depart Easter Road for Glasgow, but Hibs were reluctant to sell their star asset to another second-tier rival at the time.

The Hoops eventually swooped late in the day to secure his signature and while his Celtic career didn’t go to plan, Halliday has revealed how he unintentionally may have had a say in Allan’s decision.

Speaking to Open Goal, he said: “I’d be speaking to Scotty Allan when it was Rangers vs Hibs, and I’m thinking he’s signing for Rangers in three or four days and we’re talking about it on the pitch.

“A week later and he’s got a Celtic scarf above his head. He didn’t tell me (he was signing for Celtic). I thought he was going to Rangers and next thing you know the scarf if above his head. But I remember talking to him. We beat them 6-2 at Easter Road, he came off the bench and I remember saying ‘I’ll see you in a week at training. Will I aye? Definitely didn’t.”