Six midfielders Rangers or Celtic could sign for free including box office ace and star who fixes UEFA issue

The transfer window is officially open and that means Rangers and Celtic murmurings are only going to go up in gear.

After days of Rangers being linked with player after player, it is now Celtic’s turn to be subject of rampant speculation. They are believed to be closing in on their next deal after the signing of Kieran Tierney while they have other irons in the fire when it comes to bolstering Brendan Rodgers’ squad ahead of the new season.

Bargains are always welcomed by both sides of the Old Firm, so who could those potential gems be? We take a look at the free agency pile to assess some value for money signings Rangers or Celtic could make.

Josh Brownhill (Last club - Burnley)

Played a key role in getting the Clarets back up to the Premier League but now aged 29, is at a crossroads. Does he sign on at Turf Moor for another crack at England’s top flight or does the European lure of somewhere like Rangers or most prominently Celtic, where he’s been linked previously, prove too strong?

Robert Navarro (Last club - Mallorca)

Has spent the last 12 months with the La Liga side, playing 25 times across all competitions. Linked with a move to Athletic Bilbao which shows kind of pedigree he has but could an offer from Glasgow temp him into something bold? He told club media of his playing style: "I hope to do my best, contribute with goals and assists, do everything I can to help the team. I'm really looking forward to getting started. I think I'm a hard-working player, and then with the ball, one-on-one, speed, looking for passes with teammates."

Christian Eriksen (Last club - Man Utd)

File this one under box office. The former Tottenham and Inter Milan star is a free agent and while he may be in veteran status after time at Man Utd, he’d be a standout at Premiership level with his world class technical prowess. What makes this one more intriguing is that former Manchester United scout Mick Brown recently hinted that Rangers were looking at this deal.

He said: “They’re considering whether to take a chance on somebody like Christian Eriksen. He’s into his 30s now, he’s not going to get box to box, but he can pass and manipulate the ball in ways that their current crop of players can’t do. After leaving Man United, he’ll be looking for a new club and Rangers is an interesting opportunity.”

Josh Mulligan (Last club - Dundee)

Traditionally a right back but played 17 games in that role stacked up against 13 at centre mid during term 24/25, so he is familiar in the role and we are placing him here with almost 50% of games there. That versatility could make him an energetic option in the middle of the park, with a couple of games played in defensive midfield and attacking midfield too. Most notably, he helps satisfy UEFA rulings on homegrown players, where clubs playing in competitions like the Champions League and Europa League must include a certain number of locally trained players in squad lists.

Dejan Ljubicic (Last club - FC Koln)

Defensive midfielder who was a regular at Bundesliga level last season and even chipped in with goal contributions from deep, eight of them in total across all competitions, including five strikes. An Austrian international and interestingly, was subject of interest from Leeds United last summer, who are also owned by Rangers powerbrokers 49ers Enterprises.

Kanya Fujimoto (Last club - Gil Vicente)

Celtic have not been shy in snapping up Asian talent of late, with Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, Kyogo, Tomoki Iwata and more all arriving in recent years. An attacking midfielder, Fujimoto has impressed in Portugal’s top flight with five goals and six assists this season and is armed with more than half a decade of experience playing in that tier.