Rangers 'urged' to sign former Man Utd & Aston Villa man as Serie A side 'target' Celtic ace after £25m miss

Celtic will aim to extend their incredible lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table when they play host to third place Dundee United in a huge clash at the top of the table.

The Hoops are currently 13 points clear of the Gers and can pile further pressure onto Philippe Clement’s side with a victory in the build-up to the Light Blues’ trip to Dundee on Thursday.

Clement’s side kicked off 2025 in dream fashion with a thumping 3-0 win at home to Celtic, but fell back into bad habits away from home as they dropped points once again in a 3-3 draw in the capital against Hibs.

As both sides turn their attention to an action packed weekend of Premiership action, Glasgow World takes a look at the latest transfer headlines from Celtic and Rangers.

Serie A side target Celtic ace after failed £25m move

High-flying Serie A side Atalanta have turned their attention to another highly-rated Celtic midfielder after failing to sign Matt O’Riley on two occasions.

The Europa League winners went after O’Riley in both the January and summer window but were ultimately beaten to his signature by Brighton & Hove Albion who got the £25m deal over the line.

Atalanta sit second in the Serie A table and a darkhorse to lift a first ever league title after a sustained period of success and progress under Gian Piero Gasperini.

They are keen to enhance their midfield depth to aid their title push and have set their sights on Celtic club record signing Arne Engels, according to reports from Daily Record.

The champions shelled out £11million for Engels just before the transfer window closed and have so far been treated to five goals and nine assists in 29 appearances from the 21-year-old, who is tipped to have a huge future in the game.

Engels is still yet to discover his full potential and is expected to develop even more over the course of his four-year-deal.

The Daily Record understands Celtic would be seeking at least double what they paid for Engels if they are to listen to offers from the Bergamo based side.

Rangers urged to sign former Man Utd and Aston Villa star

Rangers have been tipped to make a shock move for four-cap England international Sam Johnstone in January, despite his reported £10m price tag.

EFL pundit Don Goodman told the Daily Record that Rangers should look to enhance their goalkeeping options in light of the serious injury sustained by first choice goalkeeper Jack Butland.

Butland has missed the last two games after being admitted to hospital with 'significant' internal bleeding to his leg, with summer signing Liam Kelly deputising in the 3-0 hammering of Celtic and Sunday's thrilling 3-3 draw with Hibs at Easter Road. The 31-year-old has since been released from hospital but an exact timeframe on his return to action has not yet been determined.

Johnstone has played just seven times in the Premier League since signing for Wolves and has struggled to establish himself as the team’s first choice since leaving Crystal Palace over the summer.

Goodman said: "Sam Johnstone moving to Rangers could be a move that suits all parties. I was baffled when Wolves paid £10 million for him from Crystal Palace as I didn't really see him as an upgrade on Jose Sa and he wasn't performing well enough to be Palace's first-choice. I found it strange when you look at how careful Wolves have had to be with spending and FFP in recent times.

"Rangers have to consider their options in the transfer window after Jack Butland's injury. A permanent move could be dependent on the price tag but a loan is likely to come down to whether Sam Johnstone would be interested in a move to Scotland."