‘Would be open’ - Rangers could target ex-Man Utd boss as £3.5m Celtic star set to return next season

Celtic secured their place in the Scottish Cup final for the third year in a row by thrashing St Johnstone 5-0 in a ruthless attacking performance at Hampden.

The Hoops, who are aiming to win the Scottish Cup for the 43rd time, took the lead in the 34th minute through captain Callum McGregor before opening the floodgates with a quickfire double from Daizen Maeda, a goal from Adam Idah and a strike from substitute Jota, who made it five goals in 13 games across all competitions since returning to Glasgow.

The victory sets up a final with Aberdeen, who managed to scrape past Hearts with a 2-1 victory in extra time after Oday Dabbagh’s dramatic winner. Celtic beat Aberdeen in the League Cup final last season and are the hot favourite to lift the trophy after beating the Dons 5-1 in the league back in February.

Rangers, meanwhile, were forced to reflect on what might have been after an early cup exit to Queen’s Park in February and more recently a 2-0 loss in the Europa League quarter-final against Spanish side Athletic Bilbao.

Huge changes are coming at Ibrox in the summer to try and bridge the gap in Glasgow and fans can expect plenty of excitement from both clubs over the summer as transfer business gets underway in July.

Former Man Utd boss ‘open’ to Rangers discussions

Rangers will look to bring in a new, high-profile manager this summer to kick off the 49ers reign in charge, according to reports from TEAMtalk.The outlet understands Barry Ferguson, despite doing a solid job on an interim basis, won’t be considered for the post, and the club will instead look to attract a big-name with experience of winning trophies.

The reports claim former boss Steven Gerrard is the favourite after his incredible spell at Ibrox between 2018 and 2021. The Liverpool icon famously led Rangers to an unbeaten season receiving 102 points and conceding only 13 goals across 38 matches, to end nearly a decade of Celtic dominance.

He’s not had the same success in England with Aston Villa or out in the Middle East with Al Ettifaq but is still held in high regard by both the fanbase and chiefs at Rangers for his fruitful spell at the club.

Alternatively, the club could look to attract arguably an even bigger name in the form of Jose Mourinho. The Fenerbahce boss is one of the most decorated names in the modern game and has won the Champions League with FC Porto and Inter Milan, the league title and FA Cup with Chelsea, and the Europa League and League Cup with Manchester United along with the Conference League with AS Roma.

The 62-year-old is currently manager of Fenerbahce, who are still in the fight to lift the Turkish Super Lig title this season, trailing leaders Galatasaray by six points having played a game less.

He’s under contract until 2026 but did hint that he’d like to manage one of Glasgow elites before being knocked out of the Europa League by Rangers on penalties this term. He sensationally said: "In this moment, no, because I have a job that motivates me and a job that demands loyalty. But why not in the future?

"People can say that the Scottish league is a league of two teams, but it's a league of passion. It's a league of passion. And for me, passion in football is everything.To play in competitions where there is not that fire of the passion doesn't make any sense.

"And Celtic and Rangers, they are big clubs with big fan bases, with big emotions, big responsibilities, big expectations. Why not?But in this moment, I have a job. Celtic has a fantastic coach like Brendan (Rodgers). Rangers has (Barry) Ferguson now, so full respect for them and I'm not searching for a new job."

TEAMtalk, however, does add that Mourinho would be ‘open’ to discussion over the summer if he was to receive a solid offer from the Ibrox club.

£3.5m Celtic ace set for Parkhead return

Luis Palma is expected to head back to Celtic for pre-season after failing to make a sufficient impact on loan at Greek champions Olympiacos. The Honduras international arrived at Celtic for £3.5m in 2023 and showed plenty of potential in his debut campaign, scoring 12 goals and registering 13 assists as the Hoops achieved a league and cup double.

However, due to a combination of injuries and a dip in form, Palma never looked like breaking into the Celtic starting lineup this term, and was limited to just one start in the Scottish Premiership before being sent out on loan to Olympiacos in a deal which included a £3.5m option to buy.

But he’s struggled for first team minutes in Greece and is unlikely to earn a permanent deal after starting just two games in the Greek Super League, according to a report from Glasgow Times.

José Luis Mendilibar said: “I have already made my decisions about the players who will stay and who will go at the end of the season. And it will be very difficult for them to change my mind in the remaining games of the season.”

Celtic currently have Jota, Daizen Maeda, Nicolas Kuhn and James Forrest among others competing for a spot on the wing. It remains to be seen if Palma can push himself back into contention at Parkhead or whether he will be offloaded on a permanent basis this summer.

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