Celtic in battle with four clubs for international defender, Rangers star in talks over permanent move away from Ibrox, Hibs face fight to land Rangers ace - Scottish Premiership Rumour Mill

Thursday’s Scottish football news and gossip

Brighton defender Shane Duffy is interesting Celtic. Picture: Getty

Celtic in battle for Irish defender

Celtic are fighting it out with West Ham, West Brom and Burnley for Republic of Ireland defender Shane Duffy. The Brighton defender is available on a season-long loan deal. (Daily Mail)

Celtic to complete signing

Celtic will complete the £5million signing of Albian Ajeti from West Ham United on Thursday. The forward was originally supposed to move on loan but the Hoops have managed to agree a permanent transfer. (Scottish Sun)

St Gallen rival Hibs for McCrorie

Swiss side St Gallen are rivalling Hibs for the signature of Rangers utility-man Ross McCrorie. The young Scot is only available on a permanent deal after spending last term on loan at Portsmouth. (Daily Record)

Docherty in talks with Hull

Rangers midfielder Greg Docherty is in talks with Hull City over a permanent switch away from Ibrox, manager Steven Gerrard has revealed. (Scottish Sun)

Gerrard dismisses going top significance

Steven Gerrard has dismissed the relevance of Rangers going top of the Premiership and insists they need to focus on eliminating the “sloppy” aspects of their play which irritated him at Ibrox on Wednesday night. (The Scotsman)

Hickey wants assurances

Aaron Hickey wants certain clauses in his Bologna contract so it’ll make it easy for the 18-year-old to move clubs if he doesn’t get enough playing time. The Hearts defender is weighing up his options as he enters the final year of his deal at Tynecastle. (Daily Record)

Injury blow for Aberdeen

Aberdeen have been dealt another blow with the news that their loan striker Ryan Edmondson is out for three to four months with an ankle injury. (The Scotsman)