Celtic target awaiting ‘direct contact’ over possible move as Rangers face ‘serious’ competition for star

Following the latest round of Storm Babet-affected Scottish Premiership fixtures over the weekend, Celtic and Rangers are now looking ahead to their upcoming European matches later this week.

Fresh from recording a dominant 4-1 thrashing of Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday, the Hoops are preparing to face Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, while the Ibrox clud will fly out to the Czech Republic tomorrow ahead of facing Sparta Prague.

Elsewhere, there is still plenty of transfer news stories making the headlines. Here are the latest Celtic and Rangers headlines on Tuesday, October 24:

Celtic target awaiting ‘direct contact’ over possible move

Gwangju midfielder Jung Ho Yeon admits he is still awaiting ‘direct contact’ from Celtic over a potential transfer after being linked with a move to the Scottish champions.

The 23-year-old South Korean has been tipped to follow fellow countryman Oh Hyeon-gyu, Yang Hyun-jun and Kwon Hyeok-kyu in making the switch from the K-League to Scotland, despite his club manager warning him he is NOT good enough.

Boss Lee Jung-hyo reckons the player doesn’t have the quality to play in Europe at present and has plenty of developing to do before highlighting the struggles of the other South Korean players so far this season.

He told Korean outlet Sports G: “I know that such stories are coming out around me. In fact, there has never been a specific or direct contact so far. I heard the same story from my team and agent. I just want to be faithful to my team in every moment.”

Rangers face ‘serious’ competition for rising star

Rangers have reportedly joined the race to snap up highly-rated England youth international Mason Cotcher - but face serious competition for his signature from Premier League sides.

The 17-year-old striker - labelled as a ‘rising star’ - is believed to have been weighing up his options over the past few months as he looks set to leave EFL Championship outfit Sunderland.

According to the Sunderland Echo, Cotcher has caught the attention of several suitors following an impressive campaign with the Black Cats’ under-18 side that pushed Manchester United far in the title race.

He scored 10 goals in 18 appearances but has yet to feature for the youth team this season amid interest from Arsenal, Brighton and now the Ibrox club. The Gunners are seemingly favourites to land Cotcher on a permanent deal at this stage after taking him on trial last week.

However, Rangers are still keeping tabs on the situation. Sunderland will be due a compensation fee should Cotcher decide his future lies elsewhere as he has yet to agree a professional contract at the Stadium of Light.