Celtic eye 27-goal midfielder, Rangers given January blow, Hearts hopeful on deal - Scottish transfer news
All the latest Scottish transfer rumours on Monday morning, with stories from Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, Dundee, and beyond
With little over a week of the transfer window left, here are all the latest with completed deals, reports and rumours from around the Scottish Premiership and beyond, as teams look to bolster their squad for the second half of the campaign.
Here are the top transfer stories on Monday morning, with reports from Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, and Dundee.
Dundee boss slams agent
Dundee head coach Steven Pressley has labelled the agent of in-demand Luke Graham a ‘game player’ following fresh speculation around the 21-year-old. The defender has serious interest from the EFL Championship, with both Portsmouth and Queens Park Rangers reported to have had bids rejected for the talented youngster, but the 52-year-old boss insists only a big bid will prize him away from Dens Park this month.
“We probably need to add another couple of new faces to the team,” said Pressley in the aftermath of his side’s 3-0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday. “Obviously, we've had some not-so-good news around the injury front with the likes of Clark Robertson, who could be out for up to six weeks, and Billy Koumetio, who could be anything from eight weeks to 12 weeks. They are two huge players for ourselves so that's a real blow.
“We have to make sure that we're not short in these areas. Does that make it more important to keep Luke? I think so. I was informed of some speculation around a bid from QPR. I'll be honest with everyone, it's news to us. We have a situation where the agent of the player is playing a game, and it's not needed at this moment in time. The one thing that I'll say is you've seen a player today and it's not affecting his performance. Luke is playing at the absolute top of his game just now and it would take a really high offer to prise him away from us.”
Hearts hopeful on deal
Hearts head coach Derek McInnes has revealed that he hopes to add Ugandan international winger Rogers Mato to his squad in the coming days, following an agreement over a transfer with FK Vardar. The 22-year-old sealed a pre-contract agreement at Tynecastle earlier in the window, but the Jambos have agreed a fee with his club in order to accelerate the transfer and bring him to Gorgie this month.
Mato had attracted interest from several clubs in Europe after scoring 12 goals in the North Macedonian top flight during the first half of the season, but it was the league leaders who won the race for his signature, and the head coach expects his transfer to be rubber-stamped this week. “Yes, I hope he finds the net quicker than he finds the UK,” joked McInnes after watching his side draw 2-2 with Celtic. “But he should be in this week,” he added.
Celtic eye 27-goal midfielder
Celtic are showing an interest in signing SK Brann midfielder Felix Horn Myhre this month, according to reports in Norway. The 26-year-old has been earmarked by the Scottish champions as a potential January addition, with manager Martin O’Neill keen to add further firepower to his squad as they look to close the six-point gap to league leaders Hearts in the second half of the campaign.
O’Neill was able to add Czech striker Tomas Cvancara to his squad last week on a long-term deal from Borussia Monchengladbach, and the frontman grabbed a debut assist in the 2-2 draw with Hearts on Sunday. However, the 73-year-old Celtic boss wants to bolster his attacking option and views Myhre as someone who can help add goals from midfield, though they face strong competition from Brondby.
A key figure with the Bergen-based club, he has scored 27 goals since his arrival from Valerenga five years ago, and has also impressed at the international level, having made his debut for Norway 18 months ago. He is valued at around £2.6million.
Rangers given January blow
Rangers could be set to miss out on key midfield target Dan Neil this month after it was claimed that West Ham United had stolen a march on the Ibrox club in the race for his signature. The Sunderland midfielder is in serious demand this month, having fallen out of favour at the Stadium of Light, with just six months left to run on his current deal.
Reports on Friday claimed that Danny Rohl’s side had stolen a march on other interested parties, with the 24-year-old said to be edging towards a switch to Glasgow. Left out of the Black Cats squad for their 3-1 defeat to the Hammers at the weekend, Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris claimed that Neil was missing with a minor niggle, however, fresh reports now claim the Hebburn-born midfielder could be closing in on a move to the London Stadium.
West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo is reported to be ready to ‘accelerate’ his effort to bring Neil to East London, with reports claiming that the English Premier League outfit now ‘leads the race’ for the midfielder, ahead of Rangers, Koln, and Sheffield United.
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