Celtic eye £14m duo amid Johnston bidding war as Rangers close in on deal for Euro 2024 record breaker
Rangers and Celtic face a hectic 72 hours as the summer transfer window edges closer to its conclusion
Premiership heavyweights Celtic and Rangers face a busy end to the Scottish transfer window ahead of Friday’s deadline day. Both clubs are in the market to add at least one more midfielder to their ranks before the close of play as they look to gain the edge in this year’s title race.
Reigning champions Celtic have a huge void to fill after Matt O’Riley’s record breaking £25m departure to English side Brighton & Hove Albion. The 23-year-old playmaker recorded 19 goals and 18 assists across all competitions and was a catalyst for a great deal of Celtic’s success last term.
The Hoops will hope to reinvest the money wisely into the team in the coming days and have now set their sights on £4m rated midfielder Alvyn Sanches of Swiss side FC Lausanne-Sport, according to the Daily Record.
The 21-year-old winger has been on Celtic’s radar since January and is believed to be a player that Brendan Rodgers thinks can go right to the top in the near future.
Celtic target Bundesliga star as £10m offer rejected
Football Scotland understands that a large portion of the O’Riley funds will be used to try and fund a deal for long-term target Arne Engels of FC Augsburg.
The Belgium U21 ace crucially plays in the central midfield role and is someone who would instantly be ready to be introduced to the first team after playing 51 games in Germany’s top division.
The Daily Record understands that Celtic are willing to pay a club-record £10m figure for the 20-year-old, who registered three goals and two assists in 31 league appearances last term.
Celtic’s pursuit of a midfielder comes after the high-profile of O’Riley, but one player that Rodgers is adamant he won’t lose in the next 72 hours is Reo Hatate despite a reported £10m offer from an unnamed French side.
Hatate is understood to be a key part of the Hoops team going forward and has started the season with an impressive two goals in his side’s opening three matches.
Mikey Johnston attracts Championship bidding war
Celtic winger Mikey Johnston is expected to depart this summer amid reports of interest from English Championship duo West Brom and Sheffield United.
The Hoops academy graduate thrived at the Hawthorns during a loan spell in the final six months of last season and is the subject of a £3m bid from the Baggies which comes just hours after a reported £2.5m bid from Sheffield United.
Both Championship promotion hopefuls are huge fans of the 23-year-old, according to the Daily Record, who add that Burnley are considering entering the race in the final moments of the window.
Rangers close in on Euro 2024 record-breaker
Rangers are edging closer to a deal for Sassuolo star Nedim Bajrami, according to reports from Sun Sport.
Bajrami - who can play central attacking midfielder or as a winger - made history in the summer when he scored Albania’s dramatic Euro 2024 opener against Italy after just 23 seconds, in what became the fastest goal in European Championships history.
The 25-year-old has played in Serie A for the last four seasons and has racked up 100 appearances in the league, but is likely to leave Italy on a season-long loan deal following his side’s relegation at the end of last season.
Bajrami potential arrival comes amid reports that Todd Cantwell is set to leave Ibrox in a £500,000 move to Blackburn Rovers in the English Championship.