Celtic loan move on cards, Rangers weigh up offer, Scotland wildcard ‘close’ to move - Scottish transfer news

In your Wednesday morning transfer bulletin, we’ve got the latest news from Celtic, Rangers, the Scotland national team and beyond as we keep you up to date with all the latest transfer headlines in the top flight and beyond.

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Scotland World Cup wildcard ‘close’ to move

Scotland international Ross Stewart looks set to have found his next club following his exit from Southampton this summer, with Swansea City understood to be closing in on a deal for the marksman. The 29-year-old was handed a recall to Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for the summer’s World Cup after a blistering second half of the campaign for the Saints, where he bagged nine goals as the Saints finished in the EFL Championship playoff spots. However, they were expelled from the competition after admitting to spying on three teams' training sessions during the 2025–26 campaign.

Despite his strong form at St Mary’s, he opted to part ways with Southampton in Jun after the club missed the window to extend his contract by a further season, allowing Swansea head coach Vítor Matos to swoop. The Welsh outfit have already paired former Motherwell favourites Stephen Welsh and Elijah Just together this summer as they build a squad aimed at pushing for a promotion back to the English Premier League, and reports indicate Stewart is ready to join their list of recruits.

Capped twice by Scotland in 2022 during his time with Sunderland, Stewart returned to the international stage as a second-half substitute in the 4-0 pre-tournament warm-up friendly win over Bolivia, and also appeared off the bench in the final minutes of the 1-0 Group C defeat to Morocco.

Ex-Man City starlet’s move in doubt

Former Manchester City academy product Joe Hodge could see a move to the Scottish Premiership scuppered due to a contract dispute between his current club, Tondela, and his former club, Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 23-year-old emerged as a key player in the Cityzens academy side alongside Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Liam Delap, winning the club Scholar of the Year award in 2020, before leaving to sign for Wolves, where he struggled for regular game time.

Opting to depart Molineux last summer to complete a switch to Tondela, he became a regular in Portugal, playing 27 times last season, but was unable to prevent them from being relegated to the second tier. Despite his side’s demotion, Hodge has captured the attention of several sides this summer, with one unnamed Scottish side thought to have been leading the race to sign the Republic of Ireland international.

However, it looks as though a move to the Scottish Premiership could be scuppered after a dispute between Wolves and Tondela. According to the Midlands outfit, a sell-on clause was inserted into his contract when he left for Portugal last summer, and reports claim this is now proving a stumbling block to his protracted move, leading to a potential collapse of the transfer.

Rangers weigh up offer

Rangers are mulling over a fresh move for Algerian international Fares Ghedjemis, as they go head-to-head with Celtic for the winger’s signature this summer. Head coach Derek McInnes is desperate to add creativity to his flanks before the transfer window shuts early next month, and is hopeful of adding Japanese winger Daisuke Yokota from Hannover 96 to his squad before tomorrow’s Europa League clash with Jagiellonia. However, he has not yet given up hope of landing Frosinone star Ghedjemis from under the noses of his Parkhead rivals.

A long-term target for Celtic, the Glasgow pair are both vying to sign the 23-year-old, with Rangers reported to have already had two bids knocked back by the Serie A club this month. While the Hoops are considering whether to launch an improved bid for the player, Rangers CEO Jim Gillespie is also contemplating whether or not to return with an improved offer of their own for the in-demand Algerian.

However, Frosione president Maurizio Stirpe has insisted that the club do not have to sell their star man, and are unlikely to budge on their valuation, which is thought to be around £13million. “If I had been left alone, selling Ghedjemis would have been a necessity tomorrow morning. Today, it’s something we can even ignore,” he said at the club’s season launch earlier this week.

Celtic loan move on cards

Celtic could seal a deal to bring former loanee Benjamin Arthur back to Parkhead this summer, with Brentford reportedly ready to sanction another loan move for the young centre-back. The 20-year-old centre-back moved to the club during the last transfer window on a temporary deal from the English Premier League side, making six appearances, and was praised for his performance against Rangers in the Scottish Cup quarter-final victory in March.

Reports last week claimed that Martin O’Neill had approached Brentford over a deal to bring Arthur back to the club on a similar deal as he looks to bolster his defensive options following the departure of Maik Nawrocki and Stephen Welsh, and a surprise move appears to be on the cards. While head coach Keith Andrews is said to view the defender as a key part of their long-term plans, further additions to his squad this month could allow the Irishman to sanction an exit for Arthur as he looks to build up his first-team experience.