Soon to be out-of-contract Celtic star at centre of EPL tug of war as Rangers push to sign ex-Sunderland ace

Rising Celtic star Daniel Cummings is the subject of rampant interest from Premier League trio Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham and Ipswich Town.

The Scotsman understands that the three Premier League clubs have been left on red alert due to increased uncertainty surrounding Cummings’ long-term future at Parkhead.

The teenage sensation has been in incredible form for Celtic’s B team throughout the season and in many fans eyes is seen as an eventual heir to Kyogo Furuhashi in attack.

So far this term, he has registered 17 goals in 14 appearances for Stephen McManus’ B team in the Lowland League and has thrived against Europe’s top young defenders with an equally impressive five goals in five games at UEFA Youth League level.

However, talks over a new deal with the highly-rated youngsters have stalled for a number of months. As it stands, he is due to become a free agent in the summer window and if a deal is not concluded by January, he will be able to begin pre-contract negotiations with a number of clubs south of the border and elsewhere in Europe.

The 18-year-old has been the subject of huge praise by Brendan Rodgers but despite the superlatives is yet to make a single appearance at senior level.

When commenting on Cummings’ potential, Rodgers said: “There’s so much involved in a young player getting an opportunity to play,” explained Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers when asked about the forward’s chances of playing for the first team last month. “I would like to think that I’ve been a coach that all my career, I’ve put in young players. If you trace my career back as a manager, before (in) my 15 years as a youth development coach, I’ve played players at 16 years of age, 17, 18.

“It’s not just about scoring goals or performing, it’s your mentality, it’s your professionalism, it’s all these things alongside ability that is what gets you the opportunity, so that’s always something I’ll assess. I think in terms of Daniel’s output, his goals in his games, he’s done very well. Young players will always get a chance here and there’s always a number of factors why they can or can’t get a chance. If they’re good enough, they’ll get a chance.”

While Cummings is not able to depart the club on a free transfer, he is expected to be available at a cut-price deal, with a cross-border compensation fee expected to earn the champions less than £500,000 if he does indeed run down his contract.

Rangers enter race for former Sunderland star

Scottish giants Rangers are believed to be in the market for an attacking midfielder in January and one name that is currently thought to be high on Philippe Clement’s wishlist is Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt.

The Wigan Athletic academy graduate, who spent time on loan at Sunderland in 2023, has been on the books at Leeds United since 2020 and in that time he has racked up 57 appearances across all competitions while scoring three goals and providing five assists.

Gelhardt, who boasts an incredible record of 12 goals in 15 games for England at Under-19 level, enjoyed his best stint at Leeds during Jesse Marsch’s time in West Yorkshire, but has found first team opportunities increasingly difficult to come by under Daniel Farke.

So far this season, he has played just nine minutes of Championship football, with all of his appearances coming from the bench. The 21-year-old has failed to make the matchday squad in any of the last seven games and is not thought to be a major part of Farke’s plans moving forward.