Celtic push for major deal, Rangers target drops hint, EPL side join Braga chase - Scottish transfer news

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

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Aberdeen confirm another new arrival

Aberdeen head coach Stephen Robinson has continued his squad rebuild this summer after snapping up free agent left-back Nesta Guinness-Walker. The defender has penned a two-year contract at Pittodrie after leaving Northampton Town this summer, and has also played for AFC Wimbledon, Reading and Stevenage. He began his career at the youth level with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

Having already made an astonishing eight new signings at Aberdeen this summer, Robinson is happy to add further strength to his backline, saying: “Nesta brings real pace and energy down the side, and his experience will also help Emmanuel and Mitchel with their continued development.

“He has played extensively in the English Championship and League One and was named Northampton’s Player of the Year last season. He will need a few weeks to get up to speed, as his season finished earlier, but our team behind the scenes will create a tailored programme to help him integrate and be ready for action as quickly as possible.”

EPL join chase for Braga

Hearts striker Claudio Braga is a summer transfer target for newly promoted English Premier League side Ipswich Town, according to fresh reports. The Portuguese striker enjoyed a dream debut season at Tynecastle after arriving from Aalesund, scooping several player of the year awards as Hearts took the Scottish Premiership title race to the final day.

His meteoric rise in the capital has sparked serious interest in his signature this summer. Lyon is strongly linked to the 26-year-old, who is thought to be valued at around £10million, alongside Trabzonspor, who are keeping tabs on developments. However, Braga may now be offered the chance to make a big-money move to the English top flight after the Portman Road side, with a report from The Scottish Sun claiming he is ‘close’ to a departure from Hearts.

Rangers target drops hint

Rangers transfer target Jens Hjerto-Dahl has hinted that he would be open to a move to the Scottish Premiership this summer, as clubs across Europe are preparing to battle for his signature. The Tromso youngster is one of the hottest properties on the market at the moment, and has serious attention after his explosive start to the Eliteserien season, where he already has 12 goal contributions in as many games.

A long-term target for Rangers, reports claimed the Glasgow giants had seen a £5.3million bid rejected by the Norwegian side in recent days, with Turkish outfit Besiktas also said to be monitoring developments. While the Romssa Arena outfit remains determined to hang on to their star man, Hjerto-Dahl has revealed his own thoughts on his future during an interview with local press.

Asked about the prospect of a move to Rangers, he replied: "It’s more appealing than going to Turkey. If you look at the series as a whole, I don't think the Turkish league is that much better. Turkey has three or four teams that are very big and good, but Norwegian football is starting to reach a very high level.”

Celtic push for major deal

Celtic want to bring former Hibs striker Kieron Bowie back to the Scottish Premiership, and are ready to go “all out” in their pursuit of the Scotland international this summer amid mounting interest in his services. The 23-year-old moved to the Italian side for a fee of £7million during the January transfer window, but was unable to prevent them from being relegated to Serie B, despite scoring four goals in the second half of the campaign.

One of several Scotland internationals currently playing in Italy, the frontman has attracted strong interest from Serie A sides Sassuolo, Cagliari, and Bologna. However, reports in Italy claim that the trio will face strong competition from Celtic for his signature, with the Scottish champions ready to make a major push to sign Bowie. While Bologna are said to be in prime position to sign him, the report says the 6ft 4in striker is tempted by a move to Celtic due to the lure of European football.

Despite the strong interest, it is believed that I Gialloblu head coach Marco Baroni has told club chiefs that they must hold on to the striker for their upcoming Serie B season, with the forward deemed vitally important to the club’s hopes of promotion, and has slapped a £13million price tag on him.