Rangers wait on £12m man, Celtic explain decision, Hibs 'ramp use' chase - Scottish transfer news

Dundee United eye further additions

Dundee United are close to confirming their first signing of the winter transfer window with the arrival of Barnsley winger Neil Farrugia on a two-and-a-half-year deal. The Northern Irishman is expected to be confirmed as a Tannadice player later today, after struggling to make an impact at Oakwell following his free transfer move from Shamrock Rovers last January.

Head coach Jim Goodwin said the club are “working” to try and bring further players to the club this month, with a goalkeeper named as a priority, but was honest in his assessment of the challenges the club faces during a notoriously tough transfer window. “There’s never a great deal of business that gets done because some of the good players aren’t available,” said Goodwin. “Simple as that. However, we’ll try to get players in. If we can’t get guys in immediately, we’ll try and get some pre-contracts done for players that we want for the summer.

“It’s an area that you don’t want to be running with just the two [goalkeepers]. You’d like to have three goalkeepers in there competing. So, if there is a goalkeeper out there that we think is going to add to the group, then we’ll definitely be in a position to do something.”

Hibs ‘ramp up’ chase

Hibs head coach David Gray is said to be ‘ramping up’ his attempts to sign Bochum defender Felix Passlack this month, according to a report from the Daily Record. The 27-year-old is entering the final six months of his contract at the Ruhrstadion, and the capital club is said to have identified him as a target this month, with his side ready to cash in on a deal for him rather than lose him on a Bosman free transfer in the summer.

The ex-Borussia Dortmund man, who played 34 games at the Signal Iduna between 2016 and 2023, was left out of the squad for Bochum’s friendly win over Alemannia Aachen at the weekend, with talks believed to be ongoing between the two sides. Passlack, who spent time on loan with Norwich City, is a former teammate of current Hibs centre-back Grant Hanley.

Meanwhile, former Hibs defender Harry Clarke has completed a move to Charlton Athletic despite being linked with a return to Sheffield United, having spent the second half of last season with the Blades. The 24-year-old spent six months on loan at Easter Road in 2022, playing six times in Leith.

Hearts confirm exit

Hearts have confirmed that goalkeeper Zander Clark has joined Doncaster Rovers on a loan deal until the end of the season. The 33-year-old stopper has made just one league appearance at Tynecastle this season, having fallen behind Craig Gordon and Alexander Schwolow in the pecking order. He will now look to play regular first-team football as he attempts to make Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for the World Cup in the summer.

“This will be a different sort of test for me, having been in Scotland for 17 years and I'm really looking forward to it,” said Clarke. Doncaster goalkeeping coach Kyle Letheren added: “Zander has got great experience in Scotland. He’s somebody I know because I’m lucky to be young enough to have played against him in the past.

“He’s a big presence, he kicks the ball a long way and he’s a great shot stopper. We can really lean on his experience. I think it’s a great signing in a January window - you don’t often get the chance to sign an international goalkeeper at League One level and that’s exactly what we’re getting.”

Celtic explain decision

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has explained his reasoning for recalling centre-back Stephen Welsh, whose loan spell at Motherwell was cut short on Monday. The 25-year-old had been a regular at Fir Park this season, having agreed a season-long loan move in the summer, and had been praised for his strong performances since his arrival at the club.

It was believed that a potential injury to fellow centre-back Auston Trusty, who was spotted limping at the end of the 4-0 win over Dundee United at the weekend, may have prompted the decision to recall Welsh, and the club has now explained its decision to bring him back to Parkhead.

“At the moment, he's enjoying himself immensely at Motherwell,” said O’Neill. “We have this opportunity to do that and then he can go back out again before the end of the window, back to Motherwell if he can. Now, the last thing you want to do is stop somebody really enjoying himself and he's having a really, really great season with a team that's flying. They play some beautiful football.

“I've only had a chance here this morning to just say hello to him. But really in essence, we at this moment until we get some recruits in, then needs must and we can do it. As I said, we will see, but we just need him in case we've got anything that happens to any of our defensive players. If anything happens to those lads at all, then you are in a bit of trouble.”

Rangers wait on £12m man

Rangers are waiting to discover if Wolfsburg winger Andreas Skov Olsen will join them on loan this month, with an answer expected imminently, according to reports. The 26-year-old is believed to be keen on making the move to Ibrox in January despite interest from elsewhere, and the club is now said to be anticipating a decision in the next 24 hours.

The 40-cap Denmark international moved to the Bundesliga giants last January for a fee of £12million but has struggled for regular game time, and is thought to be available on a temporary deal in the window, with several clubs across Europe thought to have enquired about the player.

Meanwhile, Rangers have also been listed as one of the clubs interested in bringing Hungarian winger Damir Redzic to the club. As per a report from Italian transfer specialist Rudy Galetti, the DAC Dunajska Streda star is a target for the Glasgow giants, with the club “pushing” to sign the 22-year-old. Currently playing in the Slovakian top flight, the youngster has put up some impressive numbers for his club this term, scoring seven goals in 14 games.

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