Celtic told £6m conditions, Rangers defender blow, Hearts ‘continue talks' - Scottish transfer news

Scotland youngster labelled ‘upgrade’

Scotland international Cieran Slicker has been told to forget about his difficult last few months and “concentrate on what he is good at” by Barnet manager Dean Brennan after signing from Ipswich Town on a season-long loan deal. The 22-year-old goalkeeper endured a nightmare start to his international career back in June, making his Scotland debut against Iceland at Hampden Park following an early injury to Angus Gunn, and was at fault for two of the goals as Steve Clarke’s side lost 3-0 at Hampden.

His first senior appearance for club or country, the young stopper will be allowed to get regular senior football with the EFL League Two side, and has been labelled an “upgrade” by his new boss. “That’s how we raise the bar,” said Brennan. “How we keep pushing each other and upgrading our team. I feel Slicks will definitely do that. We want him to come and to do what he’s good at. We’ve tracked and monitored him for a long time.”

Hearts ‘continue talks’

Hearts are hoping to tie down key midfielder Cammy Devlin to a new contract this summer - and remove the ‘lowly’ six-figure release clause that is attached to his current deal. According to a report from the Edinburgh Evening News, the 27-year-old is in talks over a new contract at Tynecastle, with his contract set to expire at the end of the current campaign. Jambos head coach Derek McInnes has been extremely complimentary of the Australian’s performances this summer, and is said to be keen on tying the player down to a long-term contract.

“The club spoke to my agent,” admitted Devlin. “I feel like there's been a massive focus with [new investor] Tony Bloom coming in, so many players coming in, and obviously the transfer window is still open. We've had so many players coming to the club. I can't speak on behalf of the club, but that's probably been the club's focus. It will take care of itself. If I perform well, then hopefully a positive outcome comes.”

Rangers defender blow

Rangers are set to fail in their bid to land Real Betis centre-back Nobel Mendy, according to a report from journalist Fran Campos Vázquez. The 20-year-old Senegalese defender had reached an agreement with Rangers and Rayo Vallecano earlier in the week, according to multiple reports, and had indicated he would make a ‘quick decision’ over his future.

However, it appears that decision does not favour the Glasgow giants, with Vázquez confirming that Mendy has opted to stay in La Liga. “Everything is headed toward Rayo Vallecano,” he wrote on X. “At #RealBetis, [the move] is a given, pending a definitive closure.” The 6ft 2in defender made just two appearances for Betis in the league last season, featuring more prominently for the club’s B team in the Primera Federación.

Meanwhile, Rangers have been credited with an interest in Monaco defender Kassoum Ouattara, who is valued at £15million, with reports claiming they will compete with rivals Celtic for his signature this month.

Celtic told deal conditions

Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers is keen on bulking up his defensive options in the next few weeks, but has been warned their opening bid for Caligari defender Adam Obert must be improved if they hope to land the Slovakian before the September 1 transfer deadline. Reports in Italy claim the Scottish champions made an approach to the Serie A outfit last week for the 22-year-old, but were informed that their offer of £3million fell way short of the Isolani’s valuation of the player, which is believed to be at least double that amount.

Obert also has interest from Belgian Pro League outfit Royal Antwerp, who are reported to have been monitoring developments in recent weeks. However, with his contract at Unipol Domus not due to expire until the summer of 2029, Caligari are under no pressure to offload the versatile defender.

Elsewhere, rumoured midfielder target Stefan Bajčetić has been deemed talented enough to emulate Celtic captain Callum McGregor, according to former Hoops favourite Peter Grant, who coached the youngster during his time at Liverpool Academy. “When I saw him playing, he came in as a young player, he played a few games for Liverpool, and he was outstanding,” said Grant. He’s the type of player that, probably, the Callum McGregor role, that’s where he would play. When he broke into the Liverpool squad, I thought he’d done excellently in a very, very good Liverpool side. He had handled himself ever so well.”

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