Rangers midfield set for extended spell on sidelines, former Celtic midfielder makes instant impact for new club

Celtic and Rangers will have one eye firmly fixed on the upcoming January transfer window and both clubs will continue to scout potential signings during the World Cup break.

The Hoops announced their first signing ahead of the window opening earlier today when Japanese defender Yuki Kobayashi agreed to sign a five-year-deal, while managerless Rangers are narrowing down their search for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s successor.

Here are some of the latest headlines involving the two Glasgow giants today:

Lawrence set for extended spell on sidelines

Rangers midfielder Tom Lawrence is set for an extended period on the sidelines until March, according to Herald and Times Sport.

The Welsh international, who joined the Ibrox club on a free transfer from Derby County in the summer, hasn’t featured since August due to an Achilles injury and he will now visit a specialist in London to determine the full extent of the issue.

Lawrence - one of a number of first-team stars currently on the sidelines - posted a message to address his situation on his Instagram account last week. He wrote: “Tough couple of months with injuries, the hard work continues to get back under the lights.”

The 28-year-old had hoped he would be back on the pitch shortly after the World Cup break to help ease the club’s injury list and his long-term absence is another significant blow for Rangers.

Midfielder ‘targeted’ by Serie A outfit

Glen Kamara is a January target for ambitious Serie A side Salernitana, according to reports in Italy.

The all-action midfielder attracted plenty of transfer interest in the summer but a move elsewhere never materialised. The Finland international has now been identified as a main signing priority by Salernitana sporting director Morgan De Sanctis this winter.

The Italian club, who currently sit 12th in the top-flight, are lining up a January swoop for the 27-year-old who still has three years remaining on his current Gers deal after agreeing an extended contract last year.

Salernitana boss Davide Nicola is believed to have been tracking Kamara’s progress since the summer and is ready to make his move, but that will depend on whether the new Ibrox manager sanctions the transfer.

Defender claims he ‘relaxes’ against Scottish opponents

Celtic full-back Josip Juranovic has admitted he’s not challenged enough domestically when playing for the Scottish champions, claiming he can relax against certain teams.

The Croatian international, who started his country’s opening World Cup group match against Morocco today, has been strongly linked with a move away from Parkhead in January with the club still open to selling their top players this winter in order for Ange Postecoglou to reinvest back into his squad.

European giants Chelsea, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid have all previously expressed an interest in the versatile defender and Juranovic revealed fellow countryman Luke Modric passed on some advice after their Champions League head-to-head against Real Madrid.

He told Celtic TV: “After the game immediately he (Modric) was saying that with these fans, you can do everything, but you need to get experience also in this level because the chances that we had, we didn’t score. They (Real Madrid) had maybe half of the chances and they scored because of that experience in the biggest game in the world.

“In the Championship (Scottish Premiership) against, I will not name the clubs and everything, but you can just be relaxed because you believe in your friends. But in the Champions League, you still believe in your friends, but you need to step up and show yourself on the big night.”

Ex-Hoops midfielder makes instant impact for new club

Ex-Celtic midfielder Dylan McGeouch made his debut for new club Forest Green Rovers - just 15 minutes after signing for the English League One strugglers.

The 29-year-old, who was training with Livingston as a free agent after leaving fellow Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen in the summer, had been on the look-out for a new employer for over the six months.

He agreed a deal with the Gloucestershire outfit until the end of the season at 5.45pm on Tuesday before being named in manager Ian Burchnall’s starting line-up for an EFL Trophy play-off tie against Cheltenham Town at 6pm.

It marked a rapid turnaround in fortunes for the experience McGeouch who has kept his fitness levels ticking over in West Lothian in recent months but the playmaker was unable to prevent his new team from suffering a penalty shoot-out defeat at the New Lawn Stadium.