‘Let’s see’: Celtic and Rangers in competition to sign versatile star who will cost ‘decent fee’
The Glasgow rivals are up against each for this winter transfer target
Celtic and Rangers are both on the market to strengthen their squads this transfer window as they both look to close in on Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts.
This season has been far from straight-forward for either Glasgow club but both Danny Rohl and Martin O’Neill will be hoping to see out the campaign in the strongest form possible.
The two rivals have their individual needs but they find themselves linked over the mutual interest in signing BK Hacken midfielder Silas Andersen.
Celtic and Rangers in competition for versatile midfielder
According to Pete O’Rourke, both Celtic and Rangers are ‘set to battle it out’ for the signature of Andersen this month.
The 21-year-old is under contract with the Swedish side until 2028 and right now, Hacken reportedly do not feel any pressure to cash in. Andersen made the move to the Allsvenskan side in January 2025, after previously representing Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie.
As the Swedish season runs from late March/early April through to November, he arrived just in time to make his league debut. Andersen quickly became a key player for for Hacken and it’s likely he will continue to hold a starting place as they approach the new season.
“Andersen is a player who’s done really well for BK Hacken in Sweden, but the Swedish club are in no real hurry to lose him,” O’Rourke told Football Insider.
“They want to keep hold of him, so it would take a real decent fee for Rangers to sign him. There’s also reported interest from Celtic as well, so it could be an Old Firm fight for Andersen if it does come down to that.
“Both Celtic and Rangers are looking at him. He’s a young midfielder who has got the physical attributes to come in to Scotland and be a success.”
Celtic and Rangers must submit right offer to sign Andersen
Not only will it be a difficult task to prise Andersen from Hacken in general, but Celtic and Rangers must go up against each other to submit the most convincing offer.
O’Rourke continued: “If it comes down to between Celtic and Rangers, let’s see who puts up the right offer to convince BK Hacken to sell him, but there’s no doubt that Rangers will be looking to strengthen that midfield area.
“I think in the January window, Danny Rohl has got a few areas of the squad that he would like to strengthen, and midfield is one of them. Andersen is obviously somebody who is firmly on the radar.”
Both Glasgow clubs will be eager to close down Hearts, who are currently three points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table. Celtic had a golden opportunity to leapfrog into first place during Nancy’s maiden match but they failed to capitalise on the chance and now have significant ground to make up if they want to defend their crown.