Rangers near key contract agreement, major Celtic injury boost, Hearts make signing decision - football news

The latest news and rumours around the Scottish Premiership on Thursday, February 22

John Lundstram is expected to sign a contract extension at Rangers in the coming weeks. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Rangers near key contract agreement

Rangers are close to securing midfielder John Lundstram on a new multi-year contract, according to a report. After a difficult start to the season, the former Sheffield United man has emerged as a key player under Philippe Clement with impressive performances since the Belgian was appointed following the sacking of Michael Beale in October. Lundstram is out of contract in the summer and is free to speak to other clubs, however, the Rangers Review claim that the Ibrox club are committed to securing the 30-year-old's services "for next season and beyond" with an agreement said to be "likely" in the coming weeks.

Major Celtic injury boost

Celtic look set to receive a major boost amid reports that star defender Cameron Carter-Vickers is in line to make his comeback at Motherwell this weekend. The US international centre-back has endured an injury-plagued season, starting little more than half of the club's league matches, and has been out of action since picking up another hamstring strain in the 1-0 win over Ross County on January 27. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has been relying on Maik Nawrocki and Stephen Welsh to plug the gap in recent weeks alongside Liam Scales, with Gustaf Lagerbielke also in reserve but unable to force his way into the manager's plans. The good news for Celtic fans is that Carter-Vickers has returned to training this week and, according to the Scottish Sun, could now be available for the must-win trip to Fir Park. Celtic could be five points behind Rangers by the time they kick-off in South Lanarkshire on Sunday lunchtime with the league leaders hosting Hearts at Ibrox the previous day.

Hearts make signing decision

Hearts are set to proceed with the permanent signing of Kenneth Vargas from Club Sport Herediano after his impressive form for the Tynecastle club this season. The 21-year-old forward has made 31 appearances and scored six goals since joining on loan from the Costa Rican outfit last summer. According to the Edinburgh Evening News, Vargas’ recent performances during a 12-match unbeaten run have convinced manager Steven Naismith and director of football Joe Savage to trigger the purchase option that was built into the loan transfer with a six-figure fee said to have been agreed between Hearts and his parent club. Meanwhile, Hearts are again likely to be without Craig Halkett at Rangers on Saturday with the defender sent to see a specialist this week over the knee injury picked up in the Scottish Cup win over Airdrie. Halkett has made 11 appearances this season since recovering from a near 12-month absence due to a torn achilles and Hearts are taking a cautious approach over his latest setback. According to the Edinburgh Evening News, the 28-year-old has been kept out of first-tream training as a precaution while the medical staff await the specialist's verdict. Beni Beningime is expected to be available for the trip to Ibrox after recovering from the bout of cramp that forced him off at half-time in the 2-0 win over Motherwell last weekend.

Well apologise over manager confusion

Motherwell have apologised to supporters after clearing up some confusion over the future of manager Stuart Kettlewell. It had been widely believed that Kettlewell was out of contract at the end of the season having been announced as signing a contract “initially until May 2024” when he was appointed the club’s permanent manager in February last year. However, it has transpired that the 40-year-old triggered a one-year extension until May 2025 by keeping Motherwell in the top flight last season. "We would like to apologise to both our fans and Stuart for not properly communicating the terms of the extension in May last year and for the uncertainty this has clearly caused," a Motherwell statement read.