Wrexham 'willing' to make £2m transfer bid for former Rangers striker, Celtic player's exit timeline unveiled
Wrexham have interest in a Rangers academy product as a Celtic man nears his exit.
It’s derby day in Glasgow - but that doesn’t mean that Rangers and Celtic transfer chat is about to be shelved.
The Light Blues host the Premiership champions at Ibrox on Thursday in the traditional festive clash between the arch-rivals. Rangers could fall 17 points behind Celtic and the Hoops are keen to put their foot on the title race accelarator.
In the background though, transfer rumours and murmurs are afoot. Exits could beckon on both sides and fans will be keen to see if their team can make any additions to their team in the months ahead.
Prior to the big game, here are some transfer headlines with Rangers and Celtic flavourings.
Former Rangers player attracts Wrexham
Ex-Rangers striker Ryan Hardie has attracted interest from League One side Wrexham, according to a report. The Welsh team have shot to prominence thanks to the ownership of Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, not afraid to splash the cash. And Football League World claim that Wrexham would be ‘willing’ to activate the £2m buyout clause in Hardie’s contract.
Now 27, the striker was a hot prospect at Rangers after coming through the academy ranks. He had loans to Raith Rovers, St Mirren and Livingston alongside his 17 Rangers appearances at senior level before joining Blackpool. He’s been at Plymouth since 2021, scoring 64 times with 22 assists in 229 games.
Welsh’s exit path
Celtic academy product Stephen Welsh has had his path to Belgium cleared. The defender has been a regular in squads for Celtic and has made 68 appearances overall, just two of them coming this campaign. According to Sky Sports, Celtic “are expected to allow centre-back Stephen Welsh to leave on loan this month” to join KV Mechelen in Belgium.
The defender’s possible new club want “ to have Welsh in before their first game back from their winter break against Cercle Brugge on January 12” as a timeline emerges. If that goes through, Dane Murray will be recalled from a loan at Queen’s Park to help the club fulfill their homegrown quota for the Champions League.