Pundit ‘not sure’ Celtic can accept offers for key player as club 'prepares' £8m offer for Rangers star

The excitement is building over this weekend’s looming Glasgow derby, with Celtic eyeing an opportunity to put even more daylight between them and Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.

There is currently a hefty 16 points between the two rivals but the Light Blues must take on Fenerbahce in the Europa League first. Rangers are currently 3-1 up on aggregate and have tonight’s home clash to look forward to as they eye a place in the quarter-finals.

Ahead of this weekend’s derby action, we’ve rounded up some of the latest news and transfer stories for Celtic and Rangers.

Pundit ‘not sure’ Celtic can accept offers for key player this summer

As is usually the way with Celtic, attention is starting to surround their most important players ahead of the summer transfer window. After opting to sell Kyogo Furuhashi during the winter window for £10 million, others are now starting to attract attention.

Influential winger Daizen Maeda has notched a superb 27 goals and nine assists in all competitions so far this season, turning a lot of heads at rival clubs. Brendan Rodgers even admitted last month he was braced for Celtic to receive offers from teams looking to add the Japanese international to their ranks at the end of the campaign.

Ross McCormack gave his verdict on the speculation surrounding Maeda during his latest appearance on the Open Goal podcast. When discussing whether ‘big offers’ will be headed Celtic’s way this summer, the panel were in agreement.

“There’s got to be. If you’re getting £10m for Kyogo, and everyone seems to be singing off the same hymn sheet right now that Maeda’s a better striker…” McCormack mulled. He continued to compare the two strikers, tipping Kyogo’s movement as the only thing separating them and putting the former Hoops star at a slightly higher level.

“I think yes, there will be big offers. Will they take it? I’m not sure they can,” he continued.

European side ‘preparing’ £8m bid for Rangers star

While Celtic will likely be batting off bids from rivals around the world this summer, Rangers are also at the forefront of significant transfer interest. Last summer’s signing Hamza Igamane is already attracting attention from clubs in Europe, and Sevilla are one of the sides reportedly looking to snag his signature once the transfer window opens.

According to Vamos Sevilla FC, the La Liga side are ‘preparing an initial offer’ of €10 million (£8m) in attempt to sign Igamane from Ibrox. However, the report claims that this amount may not be enough to sway Rangers into selling, especially if his impressive performances continue to play a big part of the Gers’ season.

The 21-year-old has scored 13 goals in all competitions so far this season for Rangers. His contract runs until 2029, so it may take a significant amount of cash to convince the club to sell him after just one campaign on the books.

Everton and Marseille have also been linked with Igamane as they look to bolster their attacking ranks ahead of the new season.