Celtic defender ‘wanted’ by Premier League side, Ex-Rangers target involved in bitter dispute with Belgian club

Celtic and Rangers are back in Scottish Premiership action over the next 24 hours following the conclusion of the World Cup.

Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops ran out 1-0 win over Aberdeen on Saturday and are preparing to face Livingston at Parkhead in their final top-flight fixture before Christmas.

Rangers defeated Hibernian 3-2 at Ibrox in Michael Beale’s first competitive match in charge and they make the journey north to take on Aberdeen this evening. Here is a look at some of the latest news regarding the Glasgow clubs today...

Defender ‘wanted’ by Premier League side

Hoops youngster Bosun Lawal has emerged as a transfer target for mid-table English Premier League outfit Brentford, according to reports.

The 19-year-old, who can play at centre-back or in central midfield, was named on the first-team bench by manager Ange Postecoglou for the first time against Aberdeen at the weekend having impressed coaching staff during the club’s recent winter training camps in Australia and Portugal.

Lawal - an Irish youth international - is understood to be on the January radar of the Bees with the Daily Mail claiming Italian duo Hellas Verona and Pisa S.C are also keeping tabs on his development. The teenager’s performances for Celtic’s B team have attracted plenty of attention.

Aberdeen boss details loan extension talks

Jim Goodwin is hoping Aberdeen receive the green light from Celtic to retain the services of defender Liam Scales for the remainder of the season.

The Republic of Ireland internationalist joined the Dons on loan in the summer, but the Hoops have a recall option in January. Goodwin stated negotiations remain on-going between the clubs and is confident Ange Postecoglou will have enough defensive options without Scales returning to Parkhead.

He stated: “The chairman (Dave Cormack) was due to speak to Celtic’s board to get a feel for what their thoughts are. I know that Steven Gunn (Director of Football) has been on to Celtic aready. I think we will get confirmation on that one pretty soon.

“Obviously Celtic have signed another defender who will be coming into their fold in January. Realistically I’m not sure they will be needing Liam back but we will have to wait to get that confirmed.”

Tillman ready to commit long-term future

Bayern Munich loanee Malik Tillman has confirmed he would be open to making his move to Rangers permanent in the summer.

The 20-year-old versatile attacker joined from the Bundesliga giants on a season-long loan deal and has already admitted he would be keen to trigger the option-to-buy clause in his contract. Capturing the midfielder’s signature long-term would cost the Ibrox side around £4.5million.

He said: “I think there have been some ups and downds, but as I said before, I always try and give my best and keep improving the whole time. I came here to play as many games as I can. I love the club and everything around it, so we will see what happens in the summer.”

Asked if playing at Ibrox is the best place for his development, Tillman replied: “I think so, yes.”

Ex-Gers target involved in bitter dispute

Ex-Rangers transfer target Nicolas Raskin is set to leave Belgian club Standard Liege ‘imminently’ after the midfielder was involved in a bitter war of words with manger Ronny Deila.

The Belgium Under-21 star is training with the club’s reserves side after he refused to sign a new deal, with the player expected to part ways on a cut-price fee next month.

Raskin was a summer target for the Light Blues as they drafted up a list of possible replacements for Glen Kamara. He launched a stinging attack of the Belgian club on social media over the weekend, claiming Liege were always desperate to sell him.

Reacting to his comments, Deila said: “If he accuses the club of a lack of respect, that’s his call. We wanted to build the team around him and I think the club did everything we could to keep him. He was given a significant financial incentive to stay, but in the end, it was not about money, he wanted to leave. Nicolas is a fantastic boy and a great player and it’s a shame what has happened, but he won’t be playing for us again.”

Deila’s stance provoked Raskin into making a further statement to defend himself. He added: “It has been suggested it’s me who wants to end my time at Standard Liege. That is not correct. The club decided to send me down to the B team, but my dispute with the current management goes beyond just my salary.

“I respect their decision, but I regret them trying to make it a pay issue. That’s not the case and I showed again this summer that I don’t want to leave, when they wanted to sell me to one of the three biggest clubs in Belgium.”