Rangers face battle for in-demand 9-goal ace, Hibs-Celtic striker swap, Hearts open talks with targets, ex-Ibrox star set for £10m move - Scottish Football Rumour Mill
Between now and then Steve Clarke’s men will play two friendly matches, starting with the Netherlands on Wednesday.
While plenty of focus will be on the national team, the domestic game will throw up plenty of storylines with the transfer window as managers try to tweak or overhaul their squads for next season with many teams returning to pre-season next month.
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Hide AdHere are Monday’s main Scottish football headlines and transfer news:
Midfielder battle
Rangers face competition to sign Heerenveen star Joey Veerman. The Ibrox side have been linked with the 22-year-old who impressed last season, scoring nine goals and laying on even more from midfield. A number of clubs have taken an interest including French side Reims, Champions League-bound Atalanta and Dutch giants PSV. It appears the Italians will make the first move. (Bergamoe Sport)
Wright’s Killie rebuild underway
Kilmarnock are closing in on the signing of Euan Murray as Tommy Wright rebuilds his squad following relegation. The Dunfermline Athletic captain will arrive on a free contract with his Pars deal set to expire. The centre-back had interest from Dundee and St Mirren but he appears to favour Killie who have already confirmed 14 players will be moved on this summer when their deals runs out. (Scottish Sun)
Celtic’s uphill Champions League task
The Parkhead side face three tricky, perhaps difficult, ties to reach the Champions League group stages. Celtic enter the league instead of the Champions path where Rangers will start. They start as a seeded side in the second qualifying round and their first opponents will either be Galatasaray, Rapid Vienna or FC Midtjylland. The difficulty only increases from. Despite being seeded for the third round if they advance they could still face the likes of PSV or Spartak Moscow. The play-off stage could see a tie against Shakhtar Donetsk or Benfica. (Scotland's Coefficient)
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Ex-Rangers centre-backJoe Worrall could be set for a £10million switch to the Premier League. Sean Dyche wants the Nottingham Forest defender to add to his squad and could face competition from West Ham and Norwich City. Worrall spent the 2018/19 season on loan at Ibrox, making 32 appearances. (The Sun)
Next Rangers manager?
Kevin Thomson has set his eyes on one day becoming the Rangers manager. The club’s former midfielder left a job in the academy to replace Barry Ferguson as Kelty Hearts’ new manager. He admitted he had to leave for his own journey. “If I want to be the Rangers manager in the future — or a manager at the top level — then Kelty Hearts is a brilliant place for me to learn my trade,” Thomson said. (Courier)
Hibs eye Griffiths
Leigh Griffiths could be set for a return to Easter Road with Hibs monitoring his situation at Celtic. If the striker is deemed surplus to requirements at Parkhead, Jack Ross will make his move. The Capital club are, however, wary that Kevin Nisbet is a possible target for Celtic who are currently manager-less. (The Scotsman)
Jambos talks with targets
Hearts boss Robbie Neilson has confirmed the club have held talks with two potential signing targets. The recently-promoted Jambos are on the hunt for a centre-back and creative midfielder as part of their rebuild after winning the Championship. (Evening News)