Scottish transfers: Rangers in £4.3m talks, Celtic eye £7m World Cup star, Aberdeen to land 'Hearts target'

The Scottish Premiership returns for another big weekend of action as teams continue to battle to avoid relegation or for the European spots. Clubs will also be continuing preparation for next season, including transfer activity.

Rangers forward talks

Luis Palma has been a name linked with a move to Ibrox in recent weeks and the Scottish Sun reports talks have been held over a summer transfer which could cost the club £4.3million. The Honduran international has impressed in the Greek top-flight with Aris Saloniki. With 13 goals and eight assists he has caught the attention of clubs around Europe. Under contract until 2026, Aris are in a strong position to negotiate. Capable of playing wide left, through the middle or in a deeper role, Palma, who has six caps for his country, could replace Ryan Kent who is out of contract this summer.

Dons want defender Devlin

Aberdeen could be set to make Nicky Devlin their first signing of the summer. According to the Daily Record, the Dons have held talks with the Livingston captain who is out of contract in the summer. He rejected a new deal with the West Lothian outfit opening the door for clubs north and south of the border. Hearts were reportedly interested in the player while Livi boss David Martindale suggested he could return to English football having previously played for Walsall.

Second Ibrox deal

With Kieran Dowell all but set to follow Todd Cantwell from Norwich City to Rangers, Dujon Sterling could be the second player to sign for Rangers. According to the Daily Record, an agreement is close with the player having already had a tour of the club and held talks with Michael Beale. The 23-year-old is currently on loan at Stoke City from Chelsea but his contract with the Premier League club expires at the end of the season with English teams interested but it appears Rangers have won the race for the versatile defender who can play at right or left back or as a wing-back. He has plenty of experience in the English lower leagues with more than 100 appearances in tiers two and three following loan spells at Blackpool, Wigan Athletic, Coventry City and now Stoke.

Celtic eye World Cup star

Ardon Jashari, lninked with Celtic, featured for Portugal at the World Cup. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

The Scottish champions could strengthen with the addition of Switzerland star Ardon Jashari. Reports in the player's homeland suggest the 20-year-old captain of Swiss top-flight side Luzern will depart in the summer for £7million. Celtic have been touted as a possible destination, as have Portuguese giants Porto, while Italian duo Atalanta and Lazio are understood to be monitoring the situation. Jashari is very highly-rated and was part of Switzerland's World Cup squad, featuring once.

Van Veen warning

Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell warned fellow Scottish clubs that he “would be amazed if any club in Scotland could pay the money that we think Kevin is worth and what he thinks he is worth”. Van Veen has scored 21 league goals this season for the Steelmen and has been nominated for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award. Motherwell are keen to hold onto a striker who has one more year left on his deal while the Dutchman has kept his future open.

Japanese star on Celtic radar

Luis Palma has been linked with a £4.3million move to Rangers. (Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)

Ange Postecoglou could return to a market he knows very well and has utilised excellently since moving to Celtic Park. The latest Japanese star to be linked with a move to the Scottish champions is Ryotaro Ito. The 25-year-old attacking midfielder is a key player for Albirex Niigata. He helped the side win promotion back to the Japanese top-flight with nine goals and 11 assists. He has been in impressive form in the J1 League with six goals in 12 appearances.

McKirdy’s Hibs future

Hibs boss Lee Johnson has admitted conversations have been had regarding Harry McKirdy’s future. The frontman has earned attention more for his off-field antics than what he has done on the field. He recently posted a picture of a bench on social media with the caption ‘Chels, Nina, Golf. Hibs’, referring to Gareth Bale’s infamous ‘Wales. Golf. Real Madrid. In that order’ slogan. Johnson said: "We'll decide what the best course of action with him is, not only for the good of the team but also to support players like that. These lads are desperate to play, they're desperate to perform and there's a lot of pressure on them.” READ MORE

- Meanwhile, Hibs invested a significant six-figure fee to make Elie Youan’s loan from Swiss side St Gallen permanent with Lee Johnson believing “the only way is up” for the Frenchman.

Nicky Devlin has been linked with both Aberdeen and Hearts. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)

Celtic star speaks on future

Liel Abada spoke on his Celtic future after being nominated for PFA Scotland’s Young Player of the Year. The Israeli has been linked with a move away this summer with Ajax touted as a possible destination. Abada has put up some really impressive numbers since joining Celtic but has not been a regular of late. He said: “I don’t really care about any of the things being said about my future – I just care about giving 100 per cent in training and in games. I am happy here and that’s the most important thing. We have won the league and we have the next target to win the Scottish Cup to complete the treble. That is our focus to complete our target. For me, right now I am Celtic and I don’t care about the summer or anything else.” Abada has a contract until 2026. READ MORE