Celtic could beat Everton to ‘real deal’ striker Alan Shearer rates highly as Rangers ace linked with £1.5m exit
The latest on Celtic’s pursuit of a striker as a Rangers signing from 2024 is linked with an exit less than 12 months after arriving
Scottish champions Celtic have emerged as the leading contenders to sign a highly sought after 20-year-old Premier League striker this summer.
The Hoops are expected to be in the market for a forward this summer to provide further competition to last summer’s arrival Adam Idah along with 22-year-old Johnny Kenny.
Brendan Rodgers’ side were hugely reliant on the goalscoring instincts of winger Daizen Maeda throughout last season while stars like Nicolas Kuhn also chipped in with goals from wide areas.
Popular Japanese striker Kyogo Furuhashi notably left the club in January to complete a move to Rennes, leaving the Parkhead giants with work to do in the summer window to fill that void.
Celtic confident of signing 22-time international
Celtic are expected to beat Nottingham Forest and Everton to the signature of highly-rated Republic of Ireland international Evan Ferguson.
Football Insider explains that the Hoops ability to offer the striker Champions League football or Europa League in a worst-case scenario, could swing the deal in their favour as they aim to enhance their attacking options ahead of the new campaign.
The outlet understands Celtic want to add at least one ‘A-list’ striker to their team this summer and claims that Brendan Rodgers is a huge admirer of Ferguson and the qualities that he possesses.
Former football scout, Mick Brown, who has worked at Manchester United and Sunderland in the past, explained: “Celtic can offer attractive opportunities to players like Ferguson, “They’re going to be playing in the Champions League and competing for trophies, which would be valuable experience for a player of his age. He’d come in as their first-choice striker as well, he might not be guaranteed that elsewhere.
“Especially in the Premier League where he’s proved he struggles to hold down a starting place.He struggled on loan at West Ham last year and now he needs to put down a marker and show he can be the player everybody thinks he can be.
“For a team like Everton or Forest, he would still have a lot to offer. But he could go to Celtic as the main man up front, away from the pressure that comes with the Premier League, and prove what he can do.
“I think Brendan Rodgers will be pushing to get that done, he wants to be ambitious in the market.He expects to be backed and this would be a statement of intent, even if it’s on a loan deal.”
Ferguson has scored 13 times in 68 top-flight appearances, with his most notable contribution being a hat-trick against Newcastle in the 2023/24 season. At the time, Alan Shearer described him as the ‘real deal’, via The Athletic: “Left foot, right foot, headers, pace, aggression, intuition; there is no obvious weakness to his game."
FC Twente target Rangers defender
Dutch Eredevisie side FC Twente have expressed an interest in re-signing club captain Robin Propper just one season after his move to Ibrox, via Glasgow Times.
Propper played for the Enschede-based outfit for three years between 2021 and 2024, racking up over 100 appearances across all competitions.
He joined Rangers in August and netted his first goal six months later in a 3-0 win over Celtic. Overall, he’s made 43 appearances for the Gers but has at times been criticised for some of his performances in what was a difficult season in general on the Blue side of Glasgow.
He is due to return to Ibrox for pre-season but his long-term future is up in the air. The centre-back will hold ‘talks’ with Russell Martin regarding his situation ahead of next term, as reported by Glasgow World earlier in the week.
It’s reported Twente would be willing to pay a figure of £1.5m to secure Propper’s return if they were to be given the green light by Martin’s side.