Celtic boss 'wants to keep' transfer linked player as ex Rangers forward 'free to leave' Premiership rivals'

Old-Firm giants Celtic and Rangers cruised into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup with comprehensive victories over Buckie Thistle and Dumbarton respectively.

The two footballing giants will both hope to make even more history this season and attention now returns to the Scottish Premiership title race.

As it stands Celtic are in the ascendancy with an eight point gap over rivals Rangers, but that gap could soon be reduced in the coming weeks as the Gers still have two games in hand to play.

This year’s title race is expected to be tightly contested, particularly due to Rangers’ revived form under manager Philippe Clement. The January transfer window could play a key role in separating the two sides and both Glasgow clubs will be keen to make deals in the final few weeks of the window.

With that in mind we have rounded up all of the latest transfer stories surrounding both Celtic and Rangers.

Brendan Rodgers explains stance on Rocco Vata amid exit rumours

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has revealed that Rocco Vata’s career at Parkhead is in his own hands, amid reports of a potential departure.

Vata, who got his first senior goal for Celtic as he rounded off the 5-0 win over Buckie Thistle, has been the subject of speculation during the January transfer window, with reported interest from Italian clubs in prizing him away from Glasgow.

The youngster’s existing deal at Celtic Park runs until the summer, but Rodgers insists there is an offer on the table for the Republic of Ireland U21 international to extend his stay. Rodgers told The Herald that he’s keen to keep the 18-year-old prodigy if possible. 

Rodgers also encouraged Vata to be patient and work hard for his place in the first team. He explained: “Yeah, but listen, that will be up to him.

“He is a talent and it depends what the mentality is with him and his representatives.  You get some young players whose representatives will tell you that if he’s not playing in the first team starting then they don’t want to stay. If that’s the case, you’d better go then because you’ve got to earn the right. 

“He is 18 and I don’t need players ready at 18 unless they are real, real special talents. At 20 or 21 they need to be ready. But you can see he has tools, and this can be a really good place for him to develop. 

“It was nice for him to get his goal because that’s a good feeling and he has been here a long time as a young player and he has strengths we could develop.

“I believe [he has a contract offer]. There have been chats around that. My focus is purely on the playing aspect, but there will be something there for him I’m sure.”

Former Rangers forward ‘free to leave’ Premiership club

Former Rangers striker and academy graduate Zak Rudden has been told that he is ‘free to leave’ Dundee FC.

Rudden was left out of the matchday squad for his side’s clash with Kilmarnock and is now seen as surplus to requirements by manager Tony Docherty.

The 23-year-old had been seen as a regular starter at Dens Park in recent months - scoring three times in 16 appearances. However, the arrival of Curtis Main has pushed the 23-year-old down the pecking order at Dens Park. Amadou Bakayoko, Zach Robinson and Diego Pineda are also on the books for Dundee FC.

The Courier adds that long-term stalwart Cammy Kerr has also been made available for a transfer this month. Kerr has played at Dens Park since breaking through the academy in 2012 and has made 216 league appearances for the club, with 10 of those coming this season.