Celtic near latest signing, Rangers star responds to transfer speculation, Hibs eye a striker, £7m ace wants Parkhead move - Scottish Premiership Rumour Mill

It was an exciting weekend of cup football in the Premier Sports Cup.

The latest from around the SPFL. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

Raith Rovers caused the biggest shock of the round by defeating Aberdeen, while Arbroath and Ayr United almost defeated St Johnstone and Dundee United respectively.

In the transfer market, clubs are looking to do their final bits of business with just two weeks of the window remaining.

Hibs striker hunt

Hibs boss Jack Ross has set his sights on a new striker after losing Christian Doidge to injury. The Welshman has suffered an Achilles injury and won’t return to training until three or four months’ time. Ross had been on the look out for a new forward with this injury only heightening the need for a signing.

He said: “It’s a serious blow for us because we don’t have a multitude of options – and for him as well. We’ll need to replace him – it’s an area we needed to strengthen before Christian’s injury but this heightens the need for reinforcements.”

Striker's Celtic preference

Celtic is the preferred destination for striker Thomas Henry. The 26-year-old Frenchman is a reported target for the Glasgow giants after impressing in the Belgian top-flight with OH Leuven. He scored 21 goals in 33 appearances last season and has three in four this campaign. However, Celtic face stiff competition from Gent who have agreed a fee. “Thomas’ preference is to join Celtic if they can agree a fee with Leuven," the player's representative Paul Tait told Football Insider. “Gent have agreed a fee with Leuven and they are in pole position to land Thomas.”

Postecoglou eyes more signings

Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou has targeted “a few more players” as he looks to strengthen his Celtic side. The Australian watched as his team defeated Hearts to reach the next round of the Premier Sports Cup. He said: “I keep saying it, we need more players to support the ones we have.”

Katic responds to speculation

Rangers star Nikola Katic has responded to speculation that he is set to leave Ibrox. There were reports over the weekend that he was being allowed to leave with no future at the club. The Croatian responded with a picture on Instagram of him celebrating a Rangers goal with the caption “many more like this to come” coupled with a wink emoji.

Champions League failure changes dynamics

Kris Commons believes Rangers’ failure to qualify for the Champions League “changes the dynamics within the club”. The former Celtic star, writing in his Daily Mail column, reckons it could be a case of “one step forward and two steps back” with key players potentially being sold and the club missing out on potential targets they eyed up if they had made the lucrative group stages.

Celtic near defender signing

Liam Scales will complete his move to Celtic by the end of the month. The Shamrock Rovers defender put in another assured performance at the weekend but will leave for Scotland despite reported interest from clubs in England. Celtic will pay €600,000 up front with additional add-ons.