Celtic agree fee, Rangers to reject offers, Aberdeen departure expected - Scottish transfer news

In your Tuesday morning transfer bulletin, we have all the latest reports, rumours and completed deals with news from Rangers, Celtic, Aberdeen and beyond.

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Dundee United snap up hitman

Dundee United have added Togolese striker Idjessi Metsoko to their squad as the summer rebuild at Tannadice continues. The 24-year-old joins on loan from Viktoria Plzen, becoming head coach Jim Goodwin’s eighth signing of the window, with the club holding an option to buy at the end of the season.

Struggling for regular game time at Viktoria Plzen, the forward has spent the last two seasons in Slovakia, firstly playing for Slovan Bratislava, where he scored in the Champions League, before signing for Spartak Trnava last season, where he bagged five goals in 17 appearances.

"He's a powerful, explosive forward with great feet for a striker and quick across the ground," said head coach Jim Goodwin. "So he possesses all the attributes we felt we needed when looking for another forward.” Metsoko echoed his manager’s delight at the move, saying: “It has always been a dream of mine to play in the UK and I'm looking forward to the new challenge. The opportunity to work under the manager and coaching staff in the Scottish Premiership really appealed to me and I can't wait to meet the lads and try to help the team have a really successful season."

Aberdeen departure expected

Aberdeen are set to allow striker Marko Lazetic to leave the club after just one season at Pittodrie. The 22-year-old signed for the club for an undisclosed fee from AC Milan last summer, agreeing a four-year contract, but scored just four goals in 27 appearances and is now set to depart the Dons in order to move to FC Noah.

According to a report from the Press and Journal, the Serbian has been told he is not part of head coach Stephen Robinson’s plans for next season, leading the Armenian champions to make a move for the player, alongside clubs in Sweden and Switzerland. However, it appears FC Noah are the favourites for his signature, and they are expected to complete a deal in the coming days.

Rangers to reject offers

Rangers have no interest in selling key forward Youssef Chermiti this summer, despite mounting interest in the striker’s services from Ligue 1 giants Lyon. The Portuguese Under-21 international is said to be on head coach Paulo Fonseca’s transfer wishlist as he looks to replace the outgoing Endrick, who has returned to Real Madrid following his season-long loan spell at Parc Olympique Lyonnais.

According to reports in France, the club are said to be preparing a bid of £11.9million plus add-ons of £3.5million in order to tempt the Ibrox side to sell their star man. However, the bid is said to be “unlikely” to convince Rangers to sell Chermiti this summer, with the club adamant they want to hold onto the striker.

Chermiti, 22, joined the club from Everton in a deal worth around £8million last season, and impressed at Ibrox after a slow start, scoring 15 goals and assisting five more in the Scottish Premiership. The reports claim that Lyon's head of recruitment, Benjamin Charrier, already contacted Rangers to make their interest in Chermiti clear earlier this summer, but Derek McInnes’ side has insisted they have no interest in a sale.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old starlet Luca Rankin, son of former Dundee United and Hibernian midfielder John, has signed his first professional contract with Rangers.

Celtic ‘agree fee’

Celtic look set to make a major breakthrough in the quest to bolster their squad ahead of the new season after agreeing a fee for Qarabag attacker Camilo Duran. According to reports in Azerbaijan, the Scottish champions have finally succeeded in their summer pursuit of the Colombian, having agreed to pay his asking price.

Martin O’Neill’s men are yet to make a breakthrough in the transfer market, aside from tying down Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for a further year, and had an offer in the region of £1.7million knocked back for Duran earlier in the window. However, reports say that Celtic’s board have upped their offer for the 24-year-old to £3million, which the Qarabag board are ready to accept.

The former Portimonense player was in fine form for the Azerbaijan Premier League champions last season, scoring five goals in 10 appearances during their Champions League campaign. However, he looks set to move to Celtic Park with local media outlets claiming a move to Glasgow is now “looking likely.”