Rangers shock clause, Celtic chase 28 y/o, £12m deal 'one step away', Hibs exit looms - transfer news

Midfielder move ‘one step closer’

Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour is edging closer to a big money move to Serie A after the Brighton midfielder reached an agreement with Napoli yesterday. According to Italian transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio, Napoli boss Antonio Conte hopes to ‘close’ the move today, with a fee of around £12million mooted. Another Scottish midfielder has also been linked to the Italian side, with Di Marzio claiming Gli Azzurri have targeted Manchester United ace Scott McTominay in a double deal. The Sky Sports journalist claims no agreement is in yet in place, but that a loan offer is waiting in the wings as they look to team up McTominay with his international team mate.

Hibs striker set for exit

Hibs boss David Gray is set to allow Dutch forward Dylan Vente to depart the club this summer, as per reports in the player’s homeland. The 25-year-old was a late substitute in the weekend defeat to Celtic, but has fallen down the pecking order in Edinburgh after the arrival of Ukrainian striker Mykola Kukharevych earlier in the window. Vente is now tipped to leave Leith in the coming days, with the ex-Feyenoord youngster set for a return to the continent with PEC Zwolle. The Eredivisie outfit launched a bid for the striker earlier this week and now a move appears imminent. According to a report from Soccernews, Vente will sign for the Dutch top tier club ‘very very soon’, with the striker set to fly to the Netherlands to complete the deal.

Dylan Vente is set to leave Hibs in the coming days. Cr: SNS Group. | SNS Group

Staggies close in on Australian

Ross County are set to strengthen their squad with the signing of Australian international Josh Nisbet. The 5ft 3in international midfielder is currently a free agent after seeing his contract with A-League club Central Coast Mariners expire this summer. Nisbet was a key cog in the Mariners team last year, with the Australian outfit winning the domestic treble, but is seeking a new challenge after spending six years at Industree Group Stadium. Staggies boss Don Cowie has hailed his potential signing a “a real coup” as he awaits the player finalising the paperwork to complete his move, which includes biometric testing required for him to travel to Scotland. “It is an exciting time for the football club,” said Cowie. “I don’t know how long the process takes, but I hope he will be in Scotland next week. The sooner the better. It would allow him to get involved with the group and to get used to how we work. He had played international football when I spoke to him in June – but he hasn’t played since then. We were aware of Josh being out of contract. I had a really positive discussion with him two months ago.”

Gers shock exit clause

Rangers are desperate to move on forward Ianis Hagi ‘at any cost’ this summer - and a surprise exit clause in the Romanian’s contract could seal his Ibrox departure. The 25-year-old has not featured for the first team at all this summer, having been demoted to the B team as Philippe Clement explores exit routes for the player. Hagi’s contract at the club does not expire until the summer of 2026, but the Belgian boss admitted last week that the player does not have a future with Rangers. According to reports, the Light Blues are desperate to move Hagi on this summer because of a clause within his contract that would see his salary automatically increased if he plays a set amount of games for the club. This has resulted in the Gers looking to move him on as quickly as possible, though Hagi does not currently have any transfer offers on the table.

Celtic linked to 28 y/o

Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers has been linked with a move for Peruvian midfielder Renato Tapia as he looks to strengthen his midfield options before the transfer window shuts. According to Spanish site Bolavip, Celtic will battle it out with Fluminese and Union Berlin for the 28-year-old’s signature, who is available on a free transfer after leaving Celta Vigo in the summer. The Peruvian player, who is also capable of playing at centre-back, has spent the bulk of career in Netherlands prior to his switch to La Liga, winning the Eredivisie with Feyenoord in 2017 while under the management of former Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst. It could be one in, one out for the champions, however, with the Bhoys set to lose highly-rated teenager Daniel Kelly. The 18-year-old has emerged as a key target for EFL Championship side Millwall. Kelly has been tipped for a big future, but was frozen out of Celtic’s pre-season campaign after failing to agree a new deal with the club. The teenager’s deal is set to expire in December and the East London outfit have moved to the front of the queue for his signature, despite interest from Bayer Leverkusen, with Kelly desperate to play regular first team football.