Celtic face battle, Rangers exit addressed, St Mirren bag ex-Sunderland man - Scottish transfer news

In your Friday morning transfer bulletin, we have all the latest reports, rumours and completed deals with news from Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, St Mirren and beyond.

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Ex-Hearts man targeted

Former Hearts defender James Penrice could be set to return to UK shores this summer, with both Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers interested in bringing the AEK Athens left-back to the EFL Championship. The 27-year-old departed Tynecastle last summer in order to move to the Greek Super League, but has started just 16 times for his new side and has been linked with an exit over the last few months.

According to several reports, Penrice is being watched by the English second-tier duo, although neither has made a formal offer for the player at this time. Heavily linked with a move to Rangers in January, the Glasgow giants were unsuccessful in their attempt to lure him to Ibrox and instead brought in Westerlo left-back Tuur Rommens for a fee of around £3million. While reports claim the Gers remain admirers of Penrice, it is not yet clear whether they would look to rival fellow interested parties for his signature this summer, with the player valued at around £2.5million.

St Mirren sign ex-Sunderland youngster

St Mirren have bolstered their defence with the signing of talented young Queen’s Park defender Henry Fieldson on a two-year contract. Expected to be a replacement for Miguel Freckleton, who joined LASK last week, the 21-year-old centre-back has been a key figure for the Spiders since arriving at the club from Sunderland in the summer of 2024, but the English defender’s release clause rendered them unable to block his exit.

Tracked by a number of clubs across the country during the winter transfer window, Fieldson is delighted to have completed the move to Paisley, saying: “I've been wanting this for a while now. I've only really had one destination in mind. When this got introduced to me it was something I wanted straight away.

“Scotland has always been a big part of my life. My parents met in Scotland, and I've always enjoyed Scottish football. When I came to Queen's Park, I fell in love with it. I had the opportunity to go back to England, but to step up to the Scottish Premiership, especially with me being able to play for Scotland, it all seems to be the right move for me.

Rangers exit addressed

Rangers midfielder Nico Raskin’s time at the club is over, according to former Ibrox man Andy Halliday, who claims he has “played his last game for the club.” The Belgian international has been heavily linked with a move away from the club in recent weeks, with both Hull City and Bologna battling for his signature.

However, speaking on the Open Goal podcast, Halliday says he doesn’t see a world where Raskin returns to the club for the new season, saying: “I think he would’ve left anyway, but after a good World Cup he’ll have better options than before. He’s worth of £15million. I think Raskin’s a better player than [Arne] Engels. Nottingham Forest bid £25million for Engels. I don’t think Rangers would get £25m for Raskin, but you’re trying to push it as much as you possibly can.”

Meanwhile, Raskin himself has refused to discuss his future at the club. The 25-year-old is currently on World Cup duty, and refused to be moved when asked about reports of a potential exit from Ibrox this summer. “If I don’t enjoy this [World Cup campaign], I will never enjoy it,” he said. “So I am really enjoying it to the fullest. It is magnificent and we are going to play in LA now, it will be even better. It is a dream.”

Celtic face defender battle

Celtic are set to face competition in their pursuit of bringing popular loanee Marcelo Saracchi back to the club this summer, according to a report by ESPN. Earlier this week, Hoops boss Martin O’Neill confirmed the club are hoping to bring the Uruguayan left-back back to the club this summer, saying, “I'd like to take him back if it's at all possible. We have had conversations with his agent at this minute, so we'll see where that goes."

However, with no fresh movement reported, they are set to face competition from Argentinian Primera Division sides Estudiantes and Independiente, who are both tracking the Boca Juniors defender with a view to making an offer. Signing a season-long loan deal with the Scottish champions last summer, Saracchi had his impact halted by a series of hamstring injuries and largely provided back-up to first-choice left-back Kieran Tierney.

Despite this, the 28-year-old was a popular figure at Celtic Park last season and was heralded by supporters for the huge impact he made in the final-day win over Hearts that secured a fifth successive title. Appearing 19 times in the Scottish Premiership, he provided two assists and scored once for the club, and is thought to be valued at around £1.5million.