Rangers approach made, Celtic bid 'rejected', St Mirren land ‘exciting’ winger - Scottish transfers

Rangers star closing in on WSL2 move

Rangers striker Rio Hardy is closing in on a move to WSL2 side Bristol City, the Scotsman understand. The 29-year-old has been a key figure for the Light Blues since joining from Durham two summers ago, scoring 22 goals for the club last season as they won both the Sky Sports Cup and the Scottish Women’s Cup.

Talks are now believed to be at an advanced stage between Hardy and the Robins over a move to Ashton Gate, with the news of Bristol City’s interest coming just days after the departure of key midfielder Kirsty Maclean to Liverpool. The Gers have also lost head coach Jo Potter this summer, with the ex-Lionesses midfielder opting to depart Rangers in June in order to take charge of WSL2 side Crystal Palace - and now Hardy looks set to follow.

Dunfermline reject new bid

Dunfermline Athletic have rejected a new approach for key man Ewan Otoo, with the Pars keen to hang onto the 22-year-old this summer. The midfielder has long-term interest from EFL League One side Crawley Town, which goes all the way back to last summer, with head coach Scott Lindsay keen to bring the former Celtic academy product to the Broadfield Stadium, though the club have so far been rebuffed with their bids for Otoo despite making ‘several’ bids for the player. According to the Daily Record, the Pars have now rejected another offer for the midfielder, with head coach Neil Lennon desperate to keep him at East End Park.

St Mirren land ‘exciting’ winger

St Mirren head coach Stephen Robinson has predicted that new signing Malik Dijksteel will became a fan’s favourite at the SMiSA Stadium after the Dutch winger agreed a pre-contract move from Cork City yesterday. The 24-year-old has penned a two-and-a-half year deal with the Paisley outfit, and will officially join in January when his contract with the League of Ireland side

A product of the Feyenoord youth system, Dijksteel has spent the last two seasons with Cork, where he scored five goals in 41 appearances, but has now committed his future to St Mirren. “Malik is a player that we have kept tabs on over the last six months," manager Robinson said. “He's a real bright spark in the final third. He's quick, direct, takes players on and I think the fans will really take to him given how exciting he is."

Rangers ‘approach’ made

Rangers are ready to allow winger Ross McCausland leave the club this month after being ‘approached’ by Cypriot club Aris Limassol over a potential loan deal for the Northern Ireland international. The 22-year-old, who has two-years left to run on his current deal at Ibrox, doesn’t appear to be in head coach Russell Martin’s plans for this coming season and was left out of Rangers squad for the Champions League in favour of Kieran Dowell.

Aris Limassol, who already have former Gers favourites Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun on their books, are hoping to beat off interest from a number of clubs for the signature of McCausland. According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, the Cypriot giants have already made an approach to the Ibrox hierarchy, though Basel, OH Leuven and FC Cincinnati all hold an interest in McCausland, who certainly appears to be in demand this summer.

Elsewhere, former Rangers goalkeeping target Carl Rushworth is expected to join Coventry City on a season-long loan deal this week after the Sky Blues reached an agreement with Brighton.

Celtic bid rejected

Celtic’s quest to strengthen their attacking options have been landed a blow after the Hoops saw a bid for Danish Under-21 international Jakob Breum rejected by Go Ahead Eagles. Head coach Brendan Rodgers is in the market for a winger this month, having sold Nicolas Kuhn for £18million to FC Como earlier this month, while Portuguese star Jota could be out until the new year with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

According to several reports, the Scottish champions are believed to have had an offer of around £1.5million rejected by the Eredivisie club, who are reported to be looking for a figure closer to £5million. With the clubs far apart in their valuation of Breum, the Celts could now up the ante on a transfer for long-term target Michel-Ange Balikwisha from Royal Antwerp.

The Belgian winger’s agent admitted the 24-year-old would be open to a move to Celtic Park earlier this week, but claimed there had been no official bid submitted by the Hoops. However, according to a report from the Daily Record, club officials have been ‘in talks for weeks’ over a move for Balikwisha, but have so far been apart on their valuation of the player. Meanwhile, Celtic youngsters Ure and Josh Clarke are attracting interest for Partick Thistle this summer, with head coach Mark Wilson hoping to complete a loan deal for the pair.

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