Rumour Mill: 5 clubs to scout Dembele | Sumaila to Rangers?

Moussa Dembele will be watched by no fewer than five clubs during tomorrow's Old Firm clash. Picture: SNS Group

Watch Jason Cummings’ moment of madness as he punches ball into net

Jason Cummings scored a sublime goal to give Hibernian an eventual win at Tannadice last night - but copped two yellow cards in three minutes, including one for this deliberate handball.

Chelsea and PSG to scout Dembele

Chelsea and PSG will be joined by representatives from Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City to run the rule over Moussa Dembele in this weekend’s Old Firm clash.

The French striker has been in fine form for Celtic this season with 32 goals in 44 appearances, and his price tag has been estimated at anything between £20 million and £40 million.

Celtic are keen to hold onto Dembele, and said in January they had no need to sell, but are braced for big offers during the summer for the former Fulham starlet. (Various)

Gunners ‘could replace Sanchez with Dembele’

Reports in England suggest that Arsenal could be eyeing Moussa Dembele as a potential replacement for Alexis Sanchez.

The Chilean forward has bagged 20 goals in 34 games for Arsenal but his future at the Emirates remains unclear, and reports say the Gunners are stepping up their interest in Dembele following his performances this season. (Metro)

Caixinha eyes move for Ghanaian international

Pedro Caixinha is reportedly lining up his first Rangers signing - despite still having to seal a switch to Ibrox himself.

Caixinha is said to be keen on bringing in centre back Rashid Sumaila - who is also the Portuguese manager’s godson - from Al-Qadisiya.

The Ghana international is currently on loan at Al-Gharafa but his deal with Al-Qadisiya runs out in the summer and Caixinha is reportedly keen on bringing the 24-year-old defender to Scotland. (Daily Record)

Gordon ‘rejected Chelsea for first-team football’

Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon has confirmed that Chelsea were keen to sign him in January - but admitted although the move was an attractive prospect, he knew first-team football wasn’t a guarantee.

Gordon said: “The fact I’m playing, winning, having the opportunity to play in the Champions League and winning those matches.

“There is no guarantee of playing games down there. I could have done, I might not have done. It was attractive, but at the same time, there was a lot going for the option to stay.” (Daily Star)

Caixinha picks key backroom trio

Incoming Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha also appears to have decided on his backroom staff, with Helder Baptista, Pedro Malta and Jose Belman set to move to Ibrox and fill the roles of assistant manager, fitness coach and goalkeeping coach.

The trio, who were at Al-Gharafa with Caixinha, are set to follow the Portuguese to Glasgow. (Scottish Sun)

Lennon brands Cummings ‘stupid’ but ‘priceless’

Neil Lennon refused to hang striker Jason Cummings out to dry after the forward scored the winner against Dundee United but saw red for two moments of madness inside three minutes.

Cummings fired an unstoppable effort beyond Cammy Bell in the 39th minute of the match, but was booked for dissent after being flagged for offside, before being shown a second yellow for punching the ball into the net.

Lennon - who was also sent to the stand - said: “Jason was stupid and he knows that. He’s feeling remorseful – but he’s won me the game. He’s a young lad and he has to learn, but he’s a great talent, a big-game player.

“He has to learn because he’s let his mates down for the last ten or 15 minutes while we were in complete control of the game. He can be happy with his contribution but you can still have a go at him.” (Evening News)

Sons fined for fielding ineligible player against Hibs

Dumbarton have been hit with a £3,000 fine for fielding an ineligible player against Hibs in a match back in January.

Ex-St Mirren man Stuart Carswell played 86 minutes of the 1-0 loss but it is understood the player’s registration wasn’t cleared in time after signing from Icelandic outfit Keflavik.

No further action is expected to be taken. (Dumbarton Reporter)

Ayr missing five for Falkirk clash

Ayr United are without five key players ahead of today’s Championship match against Falkirk.

The Bairns could extend their lead in second over Dundee United to four points with a win, while Ayr are fighting for survival in the second tier.

Ex-Hibee Paul Cairney faces up to six weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury while Jamie Adams, Ross Docherty and Peter Murphy are all injured and Scott McKenna misses the first of a two-match ban. (Daily Record)

McInnes vows to replace key men

Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes has vowed to replace his top players - if he loses them.

Peter Pawlett has signed a pre-contract agreement with MK Dons but Ryan Jack, Niall McGinn and Ash Taylor are all out of contract in the summer and could look to follow Pawlett out of the Pittodrie exit door.

But McInnes insisted: “They are big players for us and I’ve made it clear I want to them to continue their development and careers with us.

“They are quite within their rights to consider everything but hopefully we can get some sort of clarity in the next week or two and see where we go.” (Daily Record)

European football ‘the minimum’ insists Hearts ace

Hearts goalkeeper Jack Hamilton has said that European football is the ‘minimum’ the Tynecastle side will accept this season after a forgettable few weeks.

Hearts returned to Europe last year but crashed out to Maltese outfit Birkirkara in the Europa League qualifying rounds.

But Hamilton is keen for a return to the continent, adding: “We still want to finish as high in the table as we can. A European place is a must really, we can’t be settling for anything less than that. We need the European place.” (Evening News)

Rumour Mill: 5 clubs to scout Dembele | Sumaila to Rangers? | Lennon hails '˜big-game' Cummings