Celtic and Rangers linked defender 'eyed up' by top European club

The summer transfer window is really starting to heat up now, and with Euro 2024 over, clubs can fully focus on getting some business finalised ahead of the new season. Rangers have gotten stuck straight into the action while Celtic are expected to announce the arrival of new goalkeeper options this week.

The two Glasgow rivals have both been linked with signing Scott McKenna this window, who is available on a free contract following his departure from Nottingham Forest. The former Aberdeen star joined the East Midlands side in 2020 and was released earlier this month upon the expiration of his terms.

Celtic and Rangers face some European competition for McKenna though, with FC Copenhagen looking to strike a deal for his return. The 27-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan with the Danish side, and effectively left both Copenhagen and Forest on July 1st. According to the Daily Record, The Lions’ sporting director Sune Smith-Nielsen has briefly discussed McKenna’s situation and teased that more moves are expected to take place for Copenhagen this summer.

“From July 1st, Scott McKenna no longer had an agreement with us, so he is in a situation where he has to find a new club. In principle, it could be many clubs. Will he be back at FC Copenhagen? I cannot comment on that at this time. The squad is not fully in place yet, but we think we have got off to a really good start and have made these three signings so far, which were important to us. Several things will happen in this transfer window.”

McKenna spent the majority of his career in Scotland after coming through the ranks at Aberdeen. He made a total of 118 appearances for the Dons before moving across the border to England to join Nottingham Forest. Both Celtic and Rangers are interested in bringing McKenna back to Scottish football.

Alan Hutton recently backed the centre-back to be a solid signing for Celtic. Speaking to Football Insider, the ex-Rangers defender said: “I think it would be a really good decision for him to go and be part of that Celtic team. He’s had that experience of being down south, he was out on loan and now he wants to go somewhere and find a home, play regular football and be happy.

“He’ll also have the opportunity to win trophies and compete at the highest level in the Champions League campaign. To get him in on a free, Scottish, I think the deal ticks a lot of boxes for Celtic.”