Midfielder to hold ‘fresh’ Celtic contract talks as ex Rangers star laments two transfer ‘misses’

Rangers and Celtic return to domestic action this afternoon after the recent international break both managers will hope their side can record wins ahead of starting the group stages of European competition next week.

Meanwhile, there is still plenty of transfer news doing the rounds despite the summer window having been closed for over two weeks now A former Ibrox striker has criticised Rangers’ decision to overlook two prolific attackers, while a Celtic midfielder is preparing to hold contract talks with the club.

Here are the latest Celtic and Rangers transfer news headlines on Saturday, September 15:

Ex-Rangers star laments two transfer misses

Kris Boyd reckons Rangers can forget about making an impact in Europe this season after, insisting fans would even “bite your hand off” to have Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent back at the club.

Boss Michael Beale spent almost £15million on new attacking recruits this summer, but Boyd believes the club missed a trick by overlooking Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland and former Motherwell hitman Kevin van Veen, who enjoyed terrific goal scoring campaigns last term.

He claims their signings would have allowed for further investment in the squad elsewhere.

Writing in his Scottish Sun column, the ex-Ibrox frontman said: “Ibrox fans had enough of Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent by the end of last season. Now they would bite your hand off to have them back. That’s not a good place to be when you’ve spent £14million on a replacement frontline.

“The recruitment hasn’t been good enough for a long time now. I’m told they now use a data-driven recruitment model and spend time crunching all the numbers. It’s just a pity they didn’t crunch Lawrence Shankland or Kevin van Veen’s numbers. Two guys with proven scoring records in the Premiership.

“Two guys who wouldn’t have cost them £14m, and would have allowed Gers to keep the cash, and use it in other areas of the team. Some may say Shankland and Van Veen wouldn’t have made a difference in Europe, but it’s time to forget Europe.”

Midfielder to hold fresh Celtic contract talks

Celtic will reportedly open fresh talks over a new contract with Reo Hatate as they look to tie the midfielder down on an extended deal.

The Japanese international, who was linked with moves to the English Premiers League earlier this summer, was affected by transfer talk which subsequently saw him dropped at the start of the season by Brendan Rodgers.

Now the Hoops board are doing everything in their power to hold onto Hatate in the same way they have managed to convince Callum McGregor, Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada to commit their long-term future to the club.

The 25-year-old - back fit and available after a recent injury absence - is expected to be called upon for Tuesday night’s Champions League group stage opener against Feyenoord. But the club are desperately trying to solve his contract situation after the player rejected a previous offer to extend his stay at Parkhead.

Rodgers said: “It was a challenging summer for him. Having seen him close up I know it was difficult. He’s over that now. It’s just a shame he got injured when he did, but his response to get back has been fantastic.

“I’ve had a good couple of chats with him. He knows the demands and where we are at - he’s a top class player. It’s about managing him back into it. It will settle down. The window is difficult for players but things settle down once it’s closed.”