Rangers target Chelsea ace, Celtic exit mystery, Hibs £600k signing, Hearts to sell striker - Scottish transfers

United loan defender

Dundee United last night completed the loan signing of Irish defender Emmanuel Adegboyega from Norwich City. The 20-year-old centre-back joins on a season-long deal following last season's loan spell at EFL League Two side Walsall. Manager Jim Goodwin said: "Emmanuel has the perfect set of raw physical attributes to be a commanding centre-half in the Scottish Premiership - he rarely loses a battle with his opponent and is incredibly mobile for his height. This season, it is imperative for our defenders to be comfortable stepping into play with the ball at their feet to look for progressive passing options, and this is another one of the qualities that piqued our interest in him."

Hibs £600k signing

Hibs have beaten competition from a host of English clubs to sign Scotland Under-21 international Kieron Bowie. The Easter Road side have reached an agreement with Fulham that will see the 21-year-old forward complete his move from London to Edinburgh on Thursday, barring any last minute hitches. Hibs will pay a fee of £600,000 for the former Raith Rovers player, with the Kirkcaldy club also standing to benefit after inserting a 20 per cent sell-on clause into the £150,000 deal that took him to Fulham in 2020. Bowie is regarded as one of the hottest prospects in Scottish football, with four goals in nine Under-21 caps, including a double in a 3-1 win over Hungary last year. He spent the past two seasons on loan with Northampton Town, scoring 14 goals in 68 starts to help the side win promotion to League One in his first campaign before consolidating their place last term. Bowie also hit the net 10 times for Raith after making the breakthrough at the age of just 16. He will become the third new arrival at Hibs this week following the arrivals of Junior Hoilett and Nicky Cadden.

Rangers target Chelsea ace

Rangers have been linked with a move for Chelsea midfielder Leo Castledine. The 19-year-old made his first-team debut in the Carabao Cup last season and is highly-regarded at Stamford Bridge. He recently signed a new contract after scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists in 18 appearances in Premier League 2 last season. According to Football Scotland, Rangers are in negotiations with the Blues over a possible loan move for Castledine. Rangers are said to be prefer an option-to-buy in the deal but Chelsea would are keen to avoid that.

Hearts to sell striker

Hearts forward Kyosuke Tagawa is closing in on a return to Japan amid reports he is set to join Kashima Antlers. The 25-year-old is out of favour at Tynecastle Park and a deal to take him back to his homeland is close, according to the Edinburgh Evening News. Urawa Red Diamonds have also shown interest in signing Tagawa, who joined Hearts on a three-year contract from FC Tokyo last year. The deal with Kashima is expected to include a six-figure transfer fee. Tagawa scored three goals in 21 appearances last season but was not included in the matchday squad for this season's opening league game against Rangers on Saturday.

Celtic exit mystery

More departures from Celtic are likely before the end of the transfer window but one player already appears to have been airbrushed from the squad. Midfielder James McCarthy has not kicked a ball for the first team since October 2022 with his time at Parkhead plagued by injury and inactivity since joining from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. McCarthy still has a year left on his four-year contract but rumours are swirling that his departure has already been negotiated after Celtic mysteriously removed the 33-year-old from their squad section on their official club website. Meanwhile, Celtic are in the market for a new centre-back and are preparing to offload out of favour duo Gustaf Lagerbielke and Yuki Kobayashi, while Maik Nawrocki could be available for loan. Burnley's Dara O’Shea was a reported target but Brentford are now favourites to sign the Ireland international.