Scottish transfers: 22y/o defender linked with Rangers, Celtic eye starlet, Hibs cash boost, Tierney developments
With many teams now back in pre-season training and looking ahead to the upcoming 2023/24 campaign, transfer activity is set to be turned up a notch over the coming weeks.
We take a look at some of the stories and rumours that are doing the rounds across Scottish football this Sunday morning …
Rangers linked with Burnley defender
Manager Michael Beale has already added six new faces to his squad, but more incomings are anticipated. The latest name to be linked with a move to Ibrox is Burnley centre-half Bobby Thomas, a 22-year-old who recently had loan spells at Bristol Rovers and Barnsley. Rangers are in the market for another defender, with Nottingham Forest’s Jonathan Panzo a long-standing target, while the protracted chase for Ecuadorian midfielder Jose Cifuentes continues.
Watford starlet on Celtic radar
Celtic are reported to be one of the clubs eyeing up a move for Watford’s teenage forward Jack Grieves. The highly-rated 18-year-old, who is also attracting interest from Brentford, make his debut for the Hornets last season and while he has supposedly been offered a new contract at Vicarage Road, he is yet to agree on terms.
Celtic target told to improve
Reported Celtic transfer target Yang Hyun-Jun has been urged to up his game by his current manager at Gangwon. The 21-year-old has been heavily mooted with a move to Parkhead, but played for his current K-League team on Friday in a 1-1 draw with Gwangju and his performance did not impress gaffer Han Kook-young, who said: “There’s been a lot of noise about Yang both on and off the pitch. So I had a chat with him. I told him that even if he leaves, there is a difference between leaving with a good impression with the team and leaving with a bad image of him.”
Arsenal zone in on Tierney
Newcastle United are now prioritising a move for Scotland defender Kieran Tierney after another one of their targets, Anthonee Robinson, decided to commit his future to Fulham. Tierney, 26, is not a regular at Arsenal and is reported by Football Insider to be meeting manager Mikel Arteta next week to discuss his future. The Magpies have been long-term admirers of the ex-Celtic player and are bolstering their squad following qualification for the Champions League.
Austrian move likely for Johnston
Motherwell youngster Max Johnston is on the verge of a move to Sturm Graz. The defender, who is also wanted by Stoke City, is set to land a four-year deal with the Austrian outfit and earn the Steelmen a fee in the region of £300,000, according to reports in the Daily Record.
Hibs set for seven-figure windfall
Scotland Under-21 defender Josh Doig is moving closer to a move to Torino. The 21-year-old is leaving Verona after a year with the Serie A club and after being at the centre of a tug of war between the Turin outfit and Bologna, it is the former who have won the race. “Josh Doig will sign for Torino,” Bologna sports director Giovanni Sartori in a TV interview. With a hefty sell-on clause in place, Hibs are set to net a seven-figure sum.
Former Hibs hero lands new club
Ex-Hibs midfielder Dylan McGeouch, who was part of the team that won the Scottish Cup in 2016, has signed for Carlisle United. The 30-year-old was a free agent after leaving Forest Green Rovers earlier in the summer and has penned a two-year deal with the newly promoted Skybet League One outfit.