Rangers close in on first two Russell Martin signings as Celtic line up another Parkhead return - transfer news
Latest transfer news and speculation around Scottish football
Here is your Tuesday evening transfer bulletin as Rangers close in on two signings, Celtic look to bring back yet another former player, Livingston land an ex-Dundee man and Hearts secure a key target on a pre-contract agreement...
Rangers close in on duo
Rangers are closing in on the first two signings of the Russell Martin era. Max Aarons arrived in Glasgow on Tuesday to put pen to paper on a season-long loan move from Bournemouth. The arrival of the 23-year-old right-back is expected to be confirmed by the Ibrox club in the coming days.
Conor Coady is also said to be nearing a move to Rangers. The 32-year-old centre-back, capped 11 times by England, is set to depart Leicester City following their relegation to the Championship. And according to reports, he is in line to follow Aarons to Ibrox with Rangers negotiating a cut-price deal with Leicester for a player who is entering the final year of his contract.
Reports on Tuesday also linked Rangers with a move for Liverpool left-back Owen Beck on a permanent deal. The 22-year-old Welshman was previously linked with Celtic after impressing during a loan spell with Dundee. He spent last season on loan with Blackburn Rovers but missed a chunk of the campaign through injury. Rangers are also competing for the signature of Peterborough winger Kwame Poku amid rival interest from the EFL Championship. The 23-year-old, who has one cap for Ghana, had a standout season with the Posh in League One last year with 12 goals and eight assists.
Livi snap up Sylla
Livingston have announced the signing of French midfielder Mohamed Sylla on a three-year deal. Sylla has played for Oldham, Aldershot and Hartlepool in England, and made 67 appearances for Dundee in a two-season spell which ended earlier this month. The 31-year-old becomes Livingston boss David Martindale’s seventh summer signing ahead of the new William Hill Premiership season.
Another Celtic returnee lined up
Celtic are making a habit of bringing former players back to the club this year. Jota rejoined the club in January from French club Rennes, while Kieran Tierney has returned on a free transfer from Arsenal. Goalkeeper Ross Doohan, a former Celtic academy graduate, has also made his way back to Parkhead this summer after leaving Aberdeen. Now it appears Shaun Maloney could be the next to reacquint himself with the Glasgow club amid reports that he is set to return in a key coaching role.
Celtic lost Darren O'Dea from their backroom staff earlier this month after he was appointed Swansea City assistant manager to Alan Sheehan. It left Celtic looking for a new professional player pathway manager with the Scottish Sun claiming that Maloney will be brought in as O’Dea’s replacement. Maloney had two seperate spells as a Celtic player after coming through the youth ranks. He also starting his coaching career with the Parkhead club after taking on the role of under-20 development squad head coach in 2017. He then left to take up the assistant manager's role at Belgium before becoming a manager in his own right with spells in charge of Hibs and Wigan.
On the playing side, Celtic are understood to have agreed a £1.3million deal to sign Sweden winger Benjamin Nygren from Danish club Nordsjaelland while the club have also been linked with a loan move for Brighton centre-forward Evan Ferguson. There could also be big-name departures this summer with reports in Germany claiming winger Nicolas Kuhn is wanted by former club RB Leipzig with discussion over a £15million deal already at an ‘advanced stage’.
Hearts land pre-contract deal
Hearts have secured the pre-contract signing of Kazakhstan winger Islam Chesnokov, manager Derek McInnes has confirmed. However, as things stand, the 25-year-old will not be able to complete his move to Tynecastle until January unless a deal can be struck with current club Tobol Kastany. Chesnokov is under contract until October so Hearts will need to negotiate a fee with Tobol if they are to secure his services before the end of the summer window.
“The recruitment team are due to speak to Islam, he’s signed the pre-contract," McInnes said. “Their season runs on to September so we’re not fully in charge of that situation. His team are not wanting to lose him at this stage of the season because they are in the business end of theirs. I have said to the club I’d like him in as quickly as possible if we can find a solution. I had a good chat with Islam last Wednesday. I'm just waiting to find a solution." McInnes also expects a decision on the future of out-of-contract captain Lawrence Shankland in the next few days.
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