Celtic bid claims rejected, Rangers close to £8.5m deal, Scotland starlet returns - Scottish transfer news
All the latest Scottish transfer news on Friday morning - including reports from Celtic, Rangers, Dundee, Falkirk and beyond.
The Scottish Premiership transfer window has entered it’s final fortnight, meaning the reports, rumours and headlines are gaining pace as managers across the country put the final touches to their squad before the September 3 deadline.
In your Friday morning transfer bulletin, we’ve got the all the latest news from Celtic, Rangers, Dundee, Falkirk and beyond.
Dundee sign Scottish starlet
Dundee have confirmed the signing of Scotland Under-21 international Bobby Wales on a season-long loan deal from Swansea City. The 21-year-old returns to the Scottish Premiership a year after moving to the EFL Championship on a compensation deal from Kilmarnock, where he began his career as a teenager.
The Scottish starlet remains one of the country’s most highly rated young stars, but has seen his progress curtailed over the last 12 months, with Wales struggling to break into the Swansea first team, before ending the season on loan to third-tier outfit Huddersfield Town, where he made six appearances. Now back in his homeland, the Dark Blues have beaten off several sides for his signature.
“I’m really happy,” said Wales. “I’m familiar with my surroundings and the league. I’m just really happy to be playing football again. You couldn’t ask for a better game to start with and go and make a statement. As a team I believe we can do well, and we just need to go and do what we can. I want to try and score as many goals as I can. I don’t think I’ve had a chat with a manager that has given me this much belief before.”
Falkirk head coach John McGlynn is closing in on the signing of American striker Jacob Murrell after striking up a deal with MLS outfit DC United for the transfer of the player. According to a report from the Daily Record, the 22-year-old will move to the Falkirk Stadium on a permanent deal, and is aiming to be included in the squad for next weekend’s game against Celtic in Glasgow.
A former Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year, a prestigious award in the US which recognises the top high school soccer player in the country, Murrell scored his first professional goal with DC United as a teenager, scoring against Philadelphia Union in May 2024. While he has mainly been used as an impact substitute at the Audi Field, a dramatic bicycle kick against MLS champions Inter Miami CF in the 97th minute of the game saw him hit the headlines across the pond.
Celtic bid claims rejected
Celtic goalkeeping target Balazs Toth is set to play for Blackburn Rovers against Middlesbrough this weekend, with head coach Tony Mowbray admitting he has been baffled by reports that the Hungarian stopper is in advanced talks with the Scottish champions. The 28-year-old has been heavily linked with a £4million move to Glasgow over the last week, but the intense speculation has bemused the Ewood Park boss, who has claimed there’s been absolutely no formal approaches for their number one.
“I genuinely haven’t got one iota more knowledge, to be honest,” said Mowbray. “No, I don’t know anything about it. I've got nothing to say, nothing to add, because I don't know anything more. He is a very calm, cool kid, to be honest. He's not fazed at all. He tells me he's just getting on with every day's training and just keep going, so that's what I expect from him.
“I sit in the coach's office every day; I don't really sit in an office by myself. I sit with my coaches every day to discuss football, squads and players. We ask, ‘What do you think about this?’ and assess players’ potential. So whilst in my mind there has been no bids, no contact about any of our goalkeepers, we do sit and think what if this happens and where do you think we're going and we talk about players and we talk about potential options for what if. If nothing happens, we carry on because I think the goalkeeping department is pretty strong with Toth and Pears particularly and then the young ones underneath all competing.”
Meanwhile, young winger Thomas Hatton has completed a season-long loan move to Ayr United following reports of interest from the Scottish Championship club earlier this week.
Rangers close to £8.5m deal
Rangers are closing in on a deal to sign South Korean winger Kim Min-su after agreeing to pay the €10million (around £8.5million) release clause in his Girona contract. According to several reports, the club had a bid of around £6.8million rejected for the 20-year-old. Still, the Glasgow giants are now ready to up their offer to bring him to Ibrox this month, with manager Derek McInnes desperate for creativity at the top end of the pitch.
Born in Gwangju, the left winger moved to Spain early in his career, spending two years at youth club CF Damm before transferring to Girona, where he has played mainly for their B team. However, Rangers have been impressed by Min-su’s performances over the last year while on loan to FC Andorra in the Spanish second tier. Scoring six goals and assisting a further four, his form at Estadi de la FAF saw him land a place in Girona’s starting XI for their opening game draw with Leganés. However, his story with the Spanish club looks set to end, with Rangers ready to pay his release clause.
“We'll pick up on that straight after the game, with everybody involved,” said McInnes said on potential new arrivals. “We're trying in a few different areas to get the right players in, players with the right quality. We've been really focused on certain ones. I'm quite hopeful we can do one in the next few days.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.