Scottish transfers: Hibs trio update, Rangers calm on incomings, no new Celtic players for US, Hearts movement

Hibs head coach David Gray is optimistic over the fitness of Chris Cadden after the wing-back was injured in the Premier Sports Cup opener at Elgin.

The former Motherwell player was taken off midway through the first half as Hibs won 5-0 in the Highlands. Gray told Hibs TV: “Cadds came off early in the game which was disappointing, but we think he has caught that one early enough.

“We don’t want to take any chances – especially at this stage of the season – so we will get that scanned just to make sure we know what we are dealing with.

“Once we get the results back we will put a plan in place, but he is positive about how he feels on that.”

Harry McKirdy (tight muscle) and Elie Youan (illness) missed out against Elgin but are not far away from fitness.

Gray, whose side host Queen’s Park on Tuesday, said: “McKirdy is getting there every day. This one will come slightly too soon for him, but he is days away. He stepped it up in training so I fully expect him to be available for the weekend.

“Elie Youan is back in training after his illness. He is feeling better, but we just need to see how his body reacts to training and monitor that. Apart from that, the rest of the boys are all fit and ready to go.”

Hearts Cochrane latest

Hearts head coach Steven Naismith expects Alex Cochrane to finalise a move to Birmingham in the coming days.

The 24-year-old former Brighton left-back joined Hearts on a permanent deal two years ago following a loan spell and is set to depart for a reported fee of about £1.3million.

When asked about the deal ahead of Wednesday’s Tynecastle friendly against Tottenham, Naismith said: “It’s in the works. He is speaking to them and I presume the medical and the legal side of things will happen over the next few days.

“All round it’s a football business decision that makes sense. I think every club in Scotland are in that bracket of, if good offers come in for your players then they need to be considered.

“I think it’s a good model. Us as a club haven’t been good enough at it in previous years but Alex was someone who was identified, he came in, he improved, he improved Hearts, and this is the outcome of that. It’s a good deal for everyone.”

Naismith added that there had been a “couple of conversations” about the futures of two other defenders, Nathaniel Atkinson and Toby Sibbick.

Clement not worried

Philippe Clement admits he would have been worried about the rate of Rangers’ transfer business as a younger manager. But the 50-year-old is relaxed about the situation and believes the end of Euro 2024 could spark the summer window into life.

Clement admitted at the weekend that the club had to sell players before making any major signings. The Belgian has so far signed back-up goalkeeper Liam Kelly plus four players who are either 20 or 21 – defenders Jefte and Clinton Nsiala, former Aberdeen midfielder Connor Barron and Moroccan forward Hamza Igamane.

Clement told Rangers TV: “I have had a lot of pre-seasons and in this way of working and the expectations from outside. You know that everyone expects that all the new players will be in now.

“When I was younger, a first-time manager, I was also nervous about that. And now I know that it’s not possible, with the Euros or World Cup. So you need time.

“We have been looking at a lot of players in these last weeks and months, had a lot of talks. Some deals we could do, some deals not, and everybody is working hard on that.

“We are not where we want to be at the end of August but I don’t think we are the only team in the world. I know supporters want that but it’s not possible.

“Everyone is working hard on that. How fast those things go, you never have control of that because it has to do with yourself, what you can spend, it has to do with other teams, if they want to let players go and how much they ask for that.

“And it’s about convincing players also. So there are several players that are convinced Rangers is a good place but you still need negotiations around that.

“It always starts a little bit later after the Euros because now teams start to train, managers give chances to players and a little bit later on it will be more clear which players can stay or can go somewhere. So you never know how fast things go.

“But I’m not a young manager anymore so I know that’s the reality. And we work hard with the players who are in the building. That’s really important, to be ready with everyone who is in the building, for the first official game we have to play.

“Then we will see if there are still players coming in, now or the next couple of weeks, if it’s in August, you don’t have total control of those things.”

Celtic transfer latest

Celtic are set to fly off on their American pre-season tour without any new signings and amid further uncertainty over the future of Matt O’Riley.

The Denmark midfielder was the subject of the lead story in Italian newspaper Tuttosport, who claimed Juventus have earmarked the 23-year-old as one of their main summer signing targets.

Atletico Madrid failed with a January bid for O’Riley, who produced 19 goals and 18 assists last campaign to finish as Celtic’s player of the season.

The former MK Dons player has also been linked with the likes of Leicester and Atalanta.

Another player departed Celtic on Sunday when Oh Hyeon-gyu signed for Belgian side Genk after falling further out of favour under Brendan Rodgers when Adam Idah signed on loan from Norwich in January.

The South Korea striker only played 25 minutes of club football after the winter break.

Celtic are still keen to re-sign Idah and another loan player, Paulo Bernardo. The latter’s arrival could be close after Portuguese media reported he had left Benfica’s pre-season training camp.

Rodgers had declared himself eager to get players in before Celtic departed on Tuesday for games against DC United, Manchester City and Chelsea but he remains waiting for a replacement for the retired Joe Hart.

The Celtic boss is expected to be reunited with former Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel later this week with Danish media reporting the 37-year-old would undergo a medical on Thursday.

The former Falkirk loan player, who is six months older than Hart, played for Anderlecht last season and for Denmark in the European Championship.

He could be joined by Aston Villa goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo. Reports claim Celtic want the Finland international as back-up to Schmeichel and have opened talks with Villa.

The 22-year-old played 50 games on loan with Exeter last season and previously spent time with Ayr in a temporary move.

Bair on the move

Motherwell are at an “advanced stage” of negotiations over the sale of Theo Bair and manager Stuart Kettlewell has suggested the fee will be even higher than the numbers reported.

The Canada international has been linked with a move to Ligue 1 side Auxerre with reports claiming a £1.25million deal had been agreed.

Kettlewell said: “We’re probably moving to a more advanced stage.

“I’ve seen so many different reports, the guys here at the football club share a lot of information with me to make sure I’m up to speed with the stuff I don’t see on social media and all the different types of things. And the one thing I can absolutely guarantee is that I’ve not seen one accurate report in terms of the numbers or anything like that.

“We are at advanced stage in terms of Theo moving on, I can absolutely confirm that.

“I can’t give you too much more information, but nobody has reached the numbers that we’re actually speaking about as a football club. Everything has been undershot in any report that I’ve seen, but we just need to monitor that really over the next 24 hours.”

The former St Johnstone forward hit 13 goals in the final 18 games of last season for Motherwell, form which earned him a place in the Canada squad for the Copa America.

The 24-year-old came off the bench as his side lost to Uruguay in the third-place play-off on Saturday and now looks set for some more international travel in the coming days.

Kettlewell said: “There have been a lot of conversations and I’ve been really transparent with some of those conversations, some of the bids that have come in that have been turned down by the football club.

“But I’m now thinking he is back from international duty and that will start to move over the next 24-48 hours.”

Dundee switch

Dundee will play their home Premier Sports Cup ties at Brechin’s Glebe Park to allow more time for their new pitch to bed in.

Tony Docherty’s side host Annan and Inverness in the final two fixture dates of the group stage on July 23 and 27.

A club statement read: “This decision has been taken in order that the new pitch at The Scot Foam Stadium at Dens Park is in the best possible condition for the start of the league season.

“The club have invested heavily in the pitch during the close season, installing a new secondary drainage system before building the pitch up with 200 tonnes of rootzone to provide a fresh new playing surface.

“The pitch is progressing well, however, the club want to give the pitch as much time as possible to bed in and be ready for our first league match of the season at home to Hearts on Saturday, August 10.”

Dundee received a six-figure fine from the Scottish Professional Football League in April after their pitch was the subject of five postponements last season amid drainage problems, as well as causing further uncertainty ahead of fixtures against Motherwell and Rangers.

Head groundsman Paul Murray, who moved across the road from Dundee United in recent months, said: “The renovation has not been without its challenges, but with the club’s full support, we have managed to overcome these issues to help the process run as smoothly as possible.

“We have taken the decision to move the two home Premier Sports Cup games, based on the short amount of time between completing the renovation and the aforementioned fixtures.

“With the pitch being seeded less than four weeks ago – and with so much sand and rootzone going into the drainage lines and onto the pitch surface – I was concerned for the overall stability of the pitch.

“Moving the two home games gives us another 18 days to have the pitch in optimum condition for the start of the league campaign.”