Forgotten Celtic midfielder has ‘proposal rejected’ amid links to Greek club as Rangers striker ‘scouted’ by Bundesliga club

Celtic and Rangers’ are laying the foundations ahead of the 2023/24 season getting underway with both clubs finalising pre-season plans.

The Hoops could be set to part ways with a midfielder who spent last season on loan in Portugal, while a Rangers striker has emerged as a target for a German side just 12 months after arrivingat Ibrox. Here are the latest transfer news headlines affecting both Glasgow giants on Saturday, July 1:

Rangers striker ‘scouted’ by Bundesliga club

Antonio Colak is a potential signing target for Werder Bremen after reports in Germany claimed the Bundesliga side have scouted the Rangers frontman.

The 29-year-old, who signed for the Ibrox club from PAOK last summer, immiediately hit the ground running in Glasgow by embarking on a stunning goal scoring spree but his form suffered a dip after being hampered by injury problems during the second half of the season.

Gers boss Michael Beale emphasised he was eager to strengthen his attacking options ahead of the new campaign with doubt cast over Colak’s future amid reports he had fallen out of favour. And the Croatian striker could be on the move again with Werder bracing themselves for the possible exit of Marvin Duksch, who is a target for clubs in Saudi Arabia.

German outlet Bild claim Duksch would prefer to remain in the country but only if he’s offered improved terms and if the player’s demands aren’t met, the club will turn their attention to finding his replacement to partner Niclas Füllkrug.

It is thought Colak features high on head coach Ole Werner’s list of transfer candidates and a club scout has been tasked with gathering more information on the Light Blues forward.

Forgotten Celtic midfielder has ‘proposal rejected’ amid links to Greek club

Defensive midfielder Ismaila Soro has slid further down the Celtic pecking order and looks set to leave the club on a permanent basis this summer after being strongly linked with Panathinaikos.

The 25-year-old Ivorian signed a four-and-a-half year contract with the Hoops in January 2020 after leaving Israeli side Bnei Yehuda but struggled to nail down a regular starting spot and spent the entirety of last season on loan at Portuguese outfit FC Arouca.

Soro made 30 appearances across all competitions during the temporary stint but hasn’t played for Celtic since making a late substitute appearance in the 3-0 victory over Rangers in February 2022.

It’s seems highly unlikely he has a future at the club under new manager Brendan Rodgers and the Parkhead side will attempt to recoup some of the £2million transfer fee they paid for him during Neil Lennon’s second tenure.

According to Portuguese outlet Renascenca, the 20-time Greek champions had been monitoring Soro’s progress for a number of months and were ‘very close’ to finalising a deal as the club prepare to enter the Champions League at the second qualifying round.

But a new development has indicated the player’s representatives have snubbed a move for their client, who still has 12 months left to run on his Celtic contract. According to NewsPao, Soro’s agent reckons a transfer to Greece is ‘not a good idea’ and will not take Panathinaikos’ interest any further.