Celtic new signing in place, Hearts deal, £1.5m move done, ex-Barcelona kid jets in - Scottish transfers
It’s been a busy day of transfer activity across Scottish football - here are the main headlines:
New Celtic man in place
Finnish goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo has joined Celtic for their pre-season trip to the United States after he was spotted at Glasgow Airport in club training apparel. The 22-year-old will join from Aston Villa and is expected to compete with Kasper Schmeichel for the No 1 position should, as expected, the Dane complete his move in the coming days. Celtic are also hopeful of completing a permanent deal for Paulo Bernardo, who was on loan from Benfica last season, while they are also hoping to land Adam Idah from Norwich City.
French club lands Bair
Motherwell striker Theo Bair has completed his move newly-promoted French Ligue 1 side Auxerre, with the Steelmen expected to pocket a fee in the region of £1.5million for the Canada internationalist. “My time at the club has been unbelievable,” Bair said on the Motherwell website. “These have been some of the most enjoyable moments of my career. I love this club and I will always be a supporter. I wish everyone nothing but the best!”
Babunski arrives at Dundee United
Former Barcelona youngster David Babunski has signed for Dundee United, the Tannadice club has announced. North Macedonia internationalist Babunski joins from Hungarian second-tier side Mezőkövesdi Sport Egyesület and joins compatriot Kristijan Trapanovski at the club. He has been capped 15 times for his country and plays as a midfielder. Babunski came through the La Masia youth academy at Barcelona and also played for Yokohama F Marinos under Ange Postecoglou. He could make his debut on Tuesday night in the Premier Sports Cup against Stenhousemuir.
Cochrane completes Hearts move
Alex Cochrane has completed his transfer from Hearts to Birmingham. The left-back has joined the Sky Bet League One side on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee which is reported to be worth more than £1million. Cochrane told his new club’s website: “It came about quite quickly, but I felt like it was too good an opportunity to pass on. The ambition of the club is really exciting, especially for a young player like me who wants to go as far as I can in football.” Hearts head coach Steven Naismith told his club’s website: “Alex has done really well for us since joining three years ago, and we’ve been really good for Alex so it’s no surprise that there was interest in him. He leaves with our best wishes.”
Iacovitti joins St Mirren
St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson hailed the experience and balance that new signing Alex Iacovitti will bring to his squad. The left-sided central defender has signed a two-year contract after joining from Port Vale for an undisclosed fee. Robinson told the club’s official website: “Alex comes with SPFL experience which is vital to us at the moment. We’re still a young squad with some new players that haven’t played at this level. Alex has that experience. He gives us natural balance on the left-hand side of the pitch and it means we have two left-footed defenders and two right-footed defenders. It gives us great balance in the squad.
Kerr says goodbye
An emotional Cammy Kerr has done the “hardest thing” he will do in his career and left Dundee following a 20-year stay at his boyhood heroes. The defender signed a two-year contract in May 2023 and had a testimonial game in November but was loaned out to Inverness in January. The 28-year-old made 272 appearances for the club. Kerr said in a video posted on Dundee’s X account: “I’d just like to thank everyone at Dundee for an amazing time, an unforgettable time. “It’s been something that’s been part of my life since I was five years of age. Growing up, all I wanted to do was play for Dundee. I’ve been incredibly lucky to get to do that for so long. I am probably a bit emotional speaking about it because it’s been such a constant in my life. When something has been such a big part of your life for so long, it’s difficult to say goodbye."
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