Double Rangers swoop, D-day for Celtic boss, major Aberdeen manager update, Hibs signing talk - Scottish football news

The latest news and speculation around Scottish football on Thursday, March 28

Double Rangers swoop

Trabzonspor are reportedly lining up a double transfer swoop for Rangers duo John Lundstram and Borna Barisic. Both players are out of contract in the summer and the Super Lig side have made their interest known, according to reports in Turkey. Rangers opened contract talks with Lundstram at the end of last year but a new deal has not yet been agreed for the midfielder who has held down a regular place under Philippe Clement. Barisic, however, may be allowed to leave after falling down the pecking order at Ibrox and losing his starting place to Ridvan Yilmaz. The Croatian left-back joined Rangers in 2018 and is understood to be considering his options.

Major Aberdeen manager update

Rangers midfielder John Lundstram is a reported transfer target for Turkish side Trabzonspor. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

Aberdeen chief executive Alan Burrows has admitted that the club is set to miss the initial timeline set for appointing a new manager. The Dons had intended to have a new man in place during the international break but caretaker manager Peter Leven will remain in charge for Saturday's visit of Ross County, which will mark three weeks since Neil Warnock depatured Pittodrie following just 33 days in interim charge. Burrows told RedTV: “The search for a new manager is ongoing. I’d like to think it is entering the very final stages. We said a couple of weeks we hoped to appoint this during the international break but it looks unfortunately as if that won’t happen. But what I would say is it’s absolutely important we get this appointment right rather than quick. While this process has gone on longer than anyone hoped or anticipated the key focus is to ensure this appointment is right in the long term for Aberdeen Football Club. Rather than panic and go into something to get us through a timescale, it’s important we get it right.”

D-day for Celtic boss

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will learn whether he will miss the upcoming Old Firm derby against Rangers at Ibrox at an SFA disciplinary hearing on Thursday. The Northern Irishman is facing a potential touchline for questioning the competence of the match officials following Celtic's 2-0 defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle three weeks ago. Rodgers accused referee Don Robertson and video assistant John Beaton in particular of “really poor officiating” insisting “the game was decided by the officials, on the field and outside of the field” after two key decisions went against his side following VAR reviews. Rodgers claimed Beaton’s VAR intervention on the red card shown to Yang Hyun-jun was “incredible” after the winger was initially booked for catching Hearts defender Alex Cochrane with a high boot. Rodgers was also scathing over the penalty awarded against his side after Tomoki Iwata was penalised for handball in the box following a VAR review. Referencing Beaton by name, Rodgers stated: “I try to respect decisions and give the benefit of the doubt, but when I see that level of incompetence, which is the only word I can use, then that makes me worry for the game.” Rodgers was subsequently served with an SFA Notice of Complaint and will attend a hearing at Hampden today to make his case.

Hibs transfer talk

Hibs boss Nick Montgomery has revealed he will speak to Bournemouth loanee Emiliano Marcondes over the prospect of returning to the club next season. The Denmark international joined the Easter Road side in January after a door was opened due to the investment from Boll Foley's Black Knight group. However, Montgomery insists that the link-up with the Bournemouth owner will not give them an edge in the battle for Marcondes signature. “Look, that’s going to be down to Emi, as well," he told the Edinburgh Evening News. "There’s no doubt we’d like to have a conversation with Emi. But that will be at the end of the season. Right now, we’re concentrating on finishing the season strong. Because that can help us, as well. For me, it’s about Emi enjoying himself at the club. He obviously likes the city, I get on really well with him, as do the coaching staff and the players. Emi’s not a kid. He’s at a good age in his career and I’m sure, come the end of the season, we’ll have those conversations. Emi coming to Hibs will have to fit within the budget that we have. Nothing changes on that. But definitely we’d like to have those conversations with Emi at the end of the season, as we will over all the recruitment we’re looking to do in the off-season.”