The Rumour Mill: Wednesday’s football news and gossip

Celtic linked with Leicester defender

Celtic are in the hunt to sign Leicester City defender Matt Mills, as manager Neil Lennon begins work on building for the Champions League. Before leaving for France on a scouting trip, Lennon has put the wheels in motion and talks with Mills are understood to be at an advanced stage, with Kelvin Wilson set to move in the opposite direction. (Sun)

• Ki Sung-Yueng has revealed he will spend the summer mulling over his Celtic future. (Various)

Scotland in Euro 2020 bid

Scotland have formally joined forces with Wales and Republic of Ireland to declare an interest in co-hosting the 2020 European Championship finals. But, while last night’s midnight deadline to register the potential bid with Uefa has been met, The Scotsman understands both the SFA and Scottish government have yet to be convinced of the merits of fully committing to the project. (Scotsman)

Rangers takeover

• Howard Kendall has sought to ease the fears of Rangers supporters who remain sceptical about Charles Green’s involvement in their club, describing the former Sheffield United chief executive as one of the best officials he has worked with in football. “I was able to go out with the help of the board and Charles and bring Premier League players to Sheffield United at that particular time,” said Kendall. (Scotsman)

• Graeme Souness has again distanced himself from Charles Green’s consortium but urged the Yorkshire businessman to “take care of” and “love” Rangers. The former player/manager said: “Glasgow Rangers is a unique football club and like any other supporter, I am deeply concerned with where it’s going and what is going to happen to it.” (Scotsman)

• The bulk of Rangers’ first team regulars - Steve Davis, Allan McGregor, Steven Naismith, Kyle Lafferty, Steven Whittaker, Maurice Edu and Dorin Goian - valued at about £25million, will be made available for nearer £8million in the summer following the pay-cut deals agreed earlier in the season. (Record)

• The SFA are warning Livingston that they are wasting their time by threatening to sue the governing body for £1.2million if they do not relegate Rangers. Livi were demoted to the bottom tier in 2009 after entering administration. (Record)

Scottish Cup final countdown

• Hearts striker Craig Beattie is confident of overcoming a hamstring injury to be in contention for the match. “I think I’ll be alright. It’s day to day, but I think I’ll be okay. We’ll see later in the week. If I’ve not done enough or I’m not ready, he [manager Paulo Sergio] has to make that decision.” (Scotsman)

• Hibs defender Jorge Claros is excited about Saturday’s showdown: “In Honduras, I played in five cup finals with Motagua and there are usually 15,000 fans there. It’s big but it’s not as big as in Scotland. We need to concentrate for 90 minutes and, if we play like we did against Dunfermline recently, we can win. It looks like being a fantastic Scottish Cup final against Hearts and I can’t wait until Saturday.” (Scotsman)

• Andy Webster does not believe Hearts’ current dominance in the Edinburgh derby fixture will impact on the contest at Hampden Park. “It’s a double-edged sword,” he said. “You can look at our good record or they [Hibs] might say: ‘we have to rectify what has gone before’. The whole week, people can dress it up any which way they want. The proof will be in the pudding on Saturday.” (Scotsman)

IN BRIEF

• Ex-Dundee United midfielder Danny Swanson will reject a move to Hibs because he wants to play in England. (Sun)

• Dundee yesterday confirmed the signing of departing Raith Rovers striker John Baird. Dens Park manager Barry Smith has swooped to land the 26-year-old on a pre-contract as he shapes his squad for a crack at promotion to the SPL next term. (Scotsman)

• Ayr United last night appointed veteran strike Mark Roberts as their new boss after parting company with Brian Reid. (Sun)

• St Mirren defender Jeroen Tesselaar is a target for Scottish Premier League rivals Dundee United. (Sun)