Rangers bids, Celtic icon set for move, Hibs locked in talks, Hearts clock ticking - transfer news

Antman Rangers deal is now close

Rangers hope to conclude the signing of Finland internationalist Oliver Antman in the coming days after it emerged that a £3million deal for the Go Ahead Eagles winger has been agreed.

Ibrox boss Russell Martin wants further reinforcements across his squad, but particularly in the attacking wide areas, and 23-year-old Antman looks set to become Rangers’ ninth signing of the transfer window.

Martin refused to be drawn on Antman specifically after Saturday’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Motherwell, but did say: “We need some better players to help us, for sure. We need some players that we feel will do what we're asking them to do all the time.”

Martin added to his attacking options earlier in the week with the loan signing of 17-year-old Mikey Moore from Tottenham Hotspur.

Martin has say on Dessers

Meanwhile, Martin has confirmed that Rangers have rejected a bid for their striker Cyriel Dessers. The Nigerian, who was the club’s top goalscorer last season, came on as a late substitute against Motherwell and has been persistently linked with a move this summer.

Dessers was one of the only Rangers players to be namechecked positively by Martin after the draw at Fir Park and he could now start against Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League qualifier on Tuesday after another largely ineffective No 9 performance from Danilo.

“Cyriel Dessers is the only guy in the building who's in the squad today that we've actually had a bid for,” said Martin. “We turn it down, I chat to Cyriel, he's dealt with it brilliantly. He's not ready to start because he had an injury and he's trained late.

“Then he comes on for two games and runs like a beast and gets on with it because he's a good professional and a good human being and he doesn't want anyone to feel, if he does leave or stays, he doesn't want anyone to feel negatively about him. That's the way to behave properly. So he's a good example to some.”

Edouard set to play in Spain

Former Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard is on the brink of sealing a move from Crystal Palace to Spanish LaLiga outfit Girona in a deal that could earn the Selhurst Park side up to £5.5m.

Edouard left Celtic four years ago for the English Premier League and last season was farmed out to Leicester City. He has no future in London and that led to some speculation that he could rejoin the Scottish champions and rekindle a working relationship with his ex-boss Brendan Rodgers, although the Northern Irishman poured cold water on that idea.

Quizzed on Edouard last month, Rodgers said: "There are lots of players linked with us. Odsonne hasn't been on my radar, to be fair. I obviously know him, but it’s about a player who will fit into the structure of the team."

Now he is set to play in Spain with Girona, who have former Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski amongst their forward options.

Hibs defender latest

Hibs remain in talks with Scotland centre-half Grant Hanley as they look to reinforce their defensive options for the season ahead.

Hanley, 33, has been capped 62 times by Scotland and is a free agent after leaving Birmingham City last summer. He attended Hibs’ 2-1 Europa League defeat by Midtjylland on Thursday night and is a former international teammate of the club’s current technical performance manager.

Hibs’ need to bring in another right-sided defender is heightened due to Australia internationalist Lewis Miller being in advanced discussions with English Championship side Blackburn Rovers. A transfer in the region of £1m is expected to be concluded imminently.

Hibs are in action on Sunday afternoon when they kick off their Premiership campaign away to Dundee.

Hearts want duo before kick-off

Hearts still hope to have the transfers if either Pierre Landry Kabore or Tomas Bent Magnusson completed in time ahead of Monday’s Premiership curtain-raiser against Aberdeen.

The Jambos have agreed a fee with FK Trans Narva for Burkina Faso internationalist Kabore, who can play out wide or up front, but are awaiting a work permit being granted by the home office. They have also concluded negotiations with Valur for Icelandic midfielder Magnusson and are waiting on all paperwork being signed off.

Hearts head coach Derek McInnes would like to have both available to him for the visit of the Dons, but admitted earlier in the week that the matter remains in the hands of other officials.

Hearts also hope to offload some fringe players before the transfer window is out and are actively working on deals.

Another suitor for Miller

Torino have become the latest Italian Serie A club to be credited with an interest in Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller, joining Bologna and Udinese in the hunt for the 18-year-old’s signature.

The Scotland internationalist appears set to leave Fir Park this month, although his final destination remains unclear. Miller did not feature on Saturday against Rangers, but his head coach Jens Berthel Askou says he is not too far away from first-team action.

"He's been working really hard with the staff to get ready for this game,” Askou said. "Unfortunately, he didn't make it.

"He was back in training yesterday, but it was the first full training in a couple of weeks, so it was too early. But hopefully, come this time next week, he should be in a much better state. So that's only because he's not ready yet."