Celtic hit with transfer blow over 'really difficult deal' as Rangers backed to make January move for rival

Midweek Premiership action is done and dusted for Rangers and Celtic - as transfer murmurs rise to the fore.

Rangers improved in attack but left themselves open at the back as they dropped more points in a 2-2 draw at Dundee United. Celtic defeated Dundee 1-0 in Martin O’Neill’s final game as interim manager as Wilfried Nancy gets set to take over as the permanent manager, following the announcement of his arrival.

Amid the action on the park, already rumours are ramping up over what way each club’s respective January windows may go, with Celtic looking to retain their title amid a challenge from Hearts, and Rangers simply looking to get back into the race. Here are some of the latest headlines when it comes to both clubs.

What rival could Rangers sign in the summer?

Speaking on the Warm-Up, Rangers hero Kris Boyd has backed Rangers to launch a raid on title rivals Hearts for talisman Lawrence Shankland, having been prominently linked with him before he penned a new deal in the summer

Boyd said: "It wouldn’t surprise me if Rangers go and try buy Lawrence Shankland. That’s how crazy it’s been. They had the opportunity to get him for nothing, said no, and they’ll probably go and buy him in January.

Celtic hero Chris Sutton added: "If you’re Lawrence Shankland would you downgrade? If you’re Lawrence Shankland, honestly, would you move from Hearts? This has done the rounds before, and I’m with you on this. Lawrence Shankland would improve Rangers, we’ve spoken it about it before. But, if you’re him, (a) chance of winning the league… who has the better chance?"

Hearts boss Derek McInnes said about signing up Shankland on a new contract in the summer: “Lawrence’s not only been ingrained in the club the last few years, he’s been a big player for the club, knows his way about the Premiership, knows his way to goal. It just made so much sense on so many levels for me. I've known Lawrence since he was a young boy and I know how important family is to him and how important being happy is. I always felt that that was a huge advantage for us. Not only does he enjoy his time at Hearts, those family connections are always very strong.”

Celtic transfer move for striker assessed

One talent who has been linked with a move to Celtic under Nancy is Abou Ali, having worked at Columbus Crew with the new Hoops head coach, who could target a striker in the window. Transfer journalist Peter O’Rourke claims that it’s not a deal Celtic will find simple to conduct with the fee involved proving steep.

O’Rourke told Inside Track: “Trying to sign Abou Ali I think will be a difficult deal to do in January just due to the fact of the cost. I think Columbus Crew signed him for around £5.7million last summer so they’ll be looking to recoup most of that money if they were to sell him and I don’t think Columbus Crew are that keen on losing the player as well.

“[There are] obvious links of Wilfred Nancy being linked with players that he’s worked with before, but it looks like a really difficult deal to pull off in January for Celtic.”