Scottish Football Transfer News: Celtic's €7.5m signing imminent, Leeds United target Rangers star, Aberdeen reject £2m bid for star, £8m German U21 international linked with Glasgow move

It is little over a week until competitive action resumes in the SPFL with the return of the Premier Sports Cup group stages.

They will give a feel for how teams are shaping up ahead of the new season with seven Premiership clubs involved.

Of course, much of the focus is on the transfer window. Here is the latest news and speculation from around the SPFL:

New deal for Ibrox starlet

Rangers have handed one of their most promising players a new three-year deal. Cole McKinnon has agreed a contract which will take him through until 2025. The midfielder has been an important player for the club’s B side and made his first-team debut at the end of the season against Hearts. Head of Rangers academy Craig Mulholland said: “Cole has made excellent progress in the last 12 months and he has impressed the academy staff and also importantly the manager and his staff, resulting in his first-team debut, a goal and now this well-deserved contract.” (The Scotsman)

County start to Purr

Ross County have made their seventh signing of the season with the addition of Ben Purrington. The 26-year-old left-back joins on a two-year deal after 115 appearances for Charlton Athletic. Staggies boss Malky Mackay said: “Ben has proven himself at various levels of the game and those experiences will be important to us in what is going to be an extremely competitive Scottish Premiership next season.” (Various)

£8m defender linked with Celtic

All the latest transfer news and speculation from around the SPFL. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Celtic are keen on signing Schalke defender Malick Thiaw and are reported to be in talks over a possible £8million switch. Christopher Jullien is set to sign for the German giants and Thiaw could make the opposite journey. The 20-year-old German Under-21 international was a key component of Schalke’s promotion back to the Bundesliga, starting 28 of 34 league games at centre-back. Celtic are not the only interested party, however, with AC Milan also linked. (Calciomercato)

Dons eye midfielder

Jamal Amofa is attracting interest from Aberdeen according to reports in the Netherlands after turning down an offer to stay at ADO Den Haag. The 23-year-old defender is a free option and is understood to have options in the Netherlands, as well as Scotland and Switzerland. The Dons have made six summer signings so far. Amofa helped ADO Den Haag reach the play-off final to win promotion to the Eredivisie. (Press and Journal)

Celtic set to sign winger

Jota is expected to complete his move to Celtic and the deal announced on Thursday. The permanent switch from Benfica following a loan spell has dragged on with the complexities of the deal. Celtic are expected to pay around €7.5million, while they will have to give up 30 per cent of any sell-on profit. (A Bola)

Ex-Rangers flop set for big move

Former Rangers striker Umar Sadiq could be on the verge of a shocking £22million move to Sevilla. The Spanish side have been keen on Ibrox ace Alfredo Morelos but they may turn their attention to Sadiq, who scored zero goals in four appearances during a loan spell. Since then, however, he has had impressive goal returns at Partizan Belgrade and Almeria, helping the latter win promotion to La Liga. (Scottish Sun)

Leeds keen on Kent

Ryan Kent remains a Leeds United target despite the change in manager. Marcelo Bielsa was reportedly a fan of the winger but he was replaced by Jesse Marsch. However, it appears the American also rates Kent. American transfer guru Dean Jones said: “There’s Ryan Kent, too, who obviously we’ve talked about for ages in terms of being a Leeds target but genuinely is still a Leeds target.” (Ranks Podcast)

Colak to Rangers latest

Rangers continue their pursuit of Croatian international Antonio Colak. The Ibrox club had a second bid rejected for the striker with the €2.3million with add-ons package falling short of PAOK’s €3million valuation as they look to recoup what they paid Rijeka for the player, who featured in a friendly on Wednesday. Rangers, however, will face competition with Copenhagen, Panathinaikos, Real Mallorca and Malmo all keen. (Scottish Sun)

£2m rejected for Aberdeen star

Aberdeen rejected a final £2million bid from Millwall for Lewis Ferguson. The talismanic midfielder has attracted interest following a 16-goal season. The Championship side bowed out of the running for the player after having their increased bids turned down. Aberdeen expect interest from Europe for the 22-year-old. (The Scotsman)