Celtic star hints at exit, Rangers ‘express interest’, Nico Raskin update - Scottish transfer news

In your Friday morning transfer bulletin, we’ll be bringing you all the latest transfer news from around the country, with reports from Rangers, Celtic, the Scotland national team and beyond.

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Graham completes £2m move

Stoke City have won the race to sign Dundee’s highly rated young centre-back Luke Graham, who has completed a £2million move to the EFL Championship outfit. The Scotland Under-21 international was in serious demand throughout the last six months, with Portsmouth and Queens Park Rangers both seeing bids of around £1million rejected in January, while Rangers were also thought to be strong contenders for the 22-year-old’s signature. However, it is the Potters who have swept in at the final moment to lure Graham to the Bet365 Stadium, where the defender has agreed a four-year contract.

“I feel very privileged to be a Stoke City player,” said Graham. “I’ve known of the interest for a little while now and to get it over the line is amazing. I felt like this was the perfect place for the next step in my career and, having seen a few big signings arrive already, I just want to add to that. It feels like a club back on the up, one that wants to get to the Premier League, where it belongs.”

Raskin ‘set to leave’

Rangers midfielder Nico Raskin is a major summer transfer target for several clubs on the continent and is likely to leave Ibrox when his World Cup journey with Belgium comes to an end. The 24-year-old still has two years to run on his contract with Rangers, but has been strongly linked with a move to Italian outfit Bologna this summer as murmurs of a departure continue to bubble.

As per a report from Sky Sports’ Luca Bendoni, the midfielder now also has interest from Spanish outfit Real Betis following their Europa League qualification, with Manuel Pellegrini’s side ready to battle clubs in Serie A for his signature as they continue to explore a deal for the player. Raskin, signed for a fee of around £2million from Standard Liege in January 2023, has made close to 150 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 13 goals in the process.

Celtic star hints at exit

Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate says he wants to challenge himself in “a top five league” amid murmurs of a departure from the club this summer. The Japanese midfielder endured a difficult season at Parkhead, and missed out on a place in the Japan squad for this summer’s World Cup. He has has played a crucial role in Celtic’s title success since his arrival at the club in January 2022 from Kawasaki Frontale, but fell out of favour under manager Martin O’Neill last season, and has now admitted he has a desire to test himself at a higher level.

Speaking to Fergus this week, Hatate said: “I still think I’d like to challenge myself in the top five leagues. Well, I’m not exactly satisfied, but the Champions League is another example of that. I got to play in it, and play at a really high level. But still, I haven’t been able to play at a really high level throughout the entire season. I’ve always wanted to play there. My goal is to play in the Champions League or the Europa League.”

Meanwhile, Celtic are said to be clear favourites to sign Las Palmas goalkeeper Dinko Horkas this summer after launching a bid of £3.5million for the Croatian, according to a report from Metrosport.

Rangers ‘express interest’

Rangers are said to have made an enquiry for Troyes defender Sankhoun Diawara, but are set to face serious competition from Swiss Pro League champions FC Basel, who are said to be making progress in their hopes to sign the 20-year-old. The young centre-back was one of Les Champenois’ breakthrough performers as they achieved promotion back to Ligue 1 last season, and his club remain keen on extending his deal at Stade de l'Aube despite the mounting speculation around his future.

According to reports in France, an expression of interest has arrived from Rangers in Diawara, with the Glasgow giants aware he is about to enter the final year of his deal with Troyes and have ‘no desire’ to extend his contract with the club. It has been looking increasingly likely that Basel would win the race for his signature, with the Swiss side said to have already made ‘significant progress’ on a deal, though Rangers' interest may see a change in direction.