Rangers target Euro 2024 ace, Celtic star attracts 'concrete' EPL interest, Hearts' Shankland stance - transfer news
Hearts re-sign 2012 cup winner
Jamie MacDonald has rejoined Hearts on a one-year deal 12 years after lifting the Scottish Cup with the Gorgie club. The goalkeeper, now 38, has agreed a deal to join the Hearts B team this season and help younger players develop. He played in goal for Hearts in the historic 5-1 defeat of Hibs at Hampden in the 2012 Scottish Cup final. He later moved on to Falkirk, Kilmarnock, Alloa Athletic, Raith Rovers and, most recently, Greenock Morton. Hearts B team coach Liam Fox told the official club website that he is delighted to add MacDonald to his squad. “First and foremost, it’s great to have someone of Jamie’s quality and standing within the game added to our group,” he said. “Not only will he play a part on the pitch, but the learning he’ll provide to our younger players as well. He’s keen to come back, keen to play, and he knows he’ll be held to the same standards as anyone else in the dressing room. It might seem like an older goalkeeper will block the pathway, but it’s exactly the opposite. We’ve got two goalkeepers who have just turned full-time, one 16 and the other about to turn 16, and we didn’t want to block their path. Jamie will help them find the time to develop and make that next step to the B Team in the year to come.”
Rangers star 'one step' from exit


Rangers manager Philippe Clement has made it clear that there will be no further new arrivals at Ibrox this summer until funds are raised through player departures. The Belgian has already added six new faces to his squad in the shape of Liam Kelly, Clinton Nsiala, Jefte, Connor Barron, Hamza Igamane and the return of Oscar Cortes on loan. But any further additions will depend on players moving out with the possibility of Ianis Hagi, James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, Todd Cantwell and Cyriel Dessers all being sold to make way for more transfer incomings. One name who could kickstart the Ibrox exodus is out-of-favour forward Sam Lammers. The Dutchman spent the second half of last season on loan at FC Utrecht after failing to impress at Rangers following a £3.5m move from Sampdoria last summer. He enjoyed a more fruitful spell in his homeland, netting 11 goals in 20 appearances, and now looks set for a move back to Eredivisie with FC Twente. According to Tutto Mercato Web, the 27-year-old is "one step away" from completing a move to the Dutch outfit with Rangers looking to recoup the fee they spent on him 12 months ago.
Celtic star attracts ‘concrete’ EPL approach
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAtalanta are still pushing to buy Matt O'Riley from Celtic but, according to a report, they now face competition in the form of a rival offer from the English Premier League. The 23-year-old midfielder is a wanted man with the Serie A side having already had two bids rejected in the past week while an approach from Atletico Madrid was knocked back in January. Celtic are said to be holding out for a record fee for last season's player of the year with Juventus, Liverpool, West Ham and Leicester also credited with an interest in O'Riley. Another club strongly linked with the Denmark international are newly-promoted EPL side Southampton, and according to Italian outlet Tutto Mercato Web, they have made "concrete moves in the last few hours” with regards an approach for the player. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers addressed the interest in his star man this week but insisted both he and the players are "relaxed" over the ongoing transfer speculation.
Hearts reveal Shankland stance
Hearts manager Steven Naismith insists that Lawrence Shankland's price tag has not dropped despite the striker entering the final 12 months of his contract. Hearts value their captain in the £4 to £5m bracket and Naismith sees no reason why that will change amid rumours that Rangers are considering an offer for the Scotland international in the current window. “At every club in Scotland, every player has a value," Naismith told the Edinburgh Evening News. "It doesn’t always sit with the general rule of thumb, where a player’s contract is running down so they have lost a lot of value in terms of what the club could receive. Scotland is slightly different because of the finances in general in Scottish football. On top of that, the financial rewards of getting into Europe are so great that, if you have an asset who is going to help you do that, then that adds value. That’s simply it. For us, there is no change at all from where it was last summer or from where it was in January.”
Rangers target Euro 2024 ace
Rangers are reportedly interested in signing Vaclav Cerny from Wolfsburg. The 26-year-old was part of the Czech Republic squad at Euro 2024 and started the 1-1 draw with Georgia. He is under contract at the Bundesliga side until 2027 but, according to the Rangers Review, he is a player of interest at Ibrox. Cerny sparked a frenzy among Rangers fans on social media who noticed that both the player and his father had started following the Ibrox club on instagram. He has 17 international caps and six goals to his name. He made 20 appearances for the German side last season, scoring four goals, following a £6.7m move from FC Twente last summer.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.