Rumour Mill: Rotherham & Rangers bid for Allan | No offer for Virgil van Dijk

Virgil Van Dijk at Glasgow Airport ahead of his side's UEFA Champions League Third Round Qualifier against FK Qarabag. Picture: SNS

Ronny Deila: No bid for Virgil van Dijk

Ronny Deila has rubbished media reports linking prized asset Virgil van Dijk with a £7 million move to English Premier League side Southampton.

The Celtic boss reaffirmed the club’s desire to keep the player as they look to get back into the Champions League group stage.

He also suggested any club looking to sign the player would have to pay much more than the £7 million figure quoted. (Sky Sports)

• Celtic will sell van Dijk to the highest bidder if they fail to reach the Champions League group stage. Although, fear not Celtic fans, the club are already said to have his replacement lined up. (Daily Mail)

Hibs anger as Rangers make third Scott Allan bid

Hibernian are becoming increasingly exasperated with Rangers after the Ibrox club last night submitted a third bid for midfielder Scott Allan.

The Easter Road club are adamant they will not sell the gifted midfielder to their Championship rivals and have already turned down two offers from Mark Warburton’s side. (The Scotsman)

Rotherham make £400k bid for Scott Allan

English Championship side Rotherham have made an attempt to capture Scott Allan as they look to take advantage of Hibs’ refusal to sell the player to Rangers.

A £400k offer has been made to the Easter Road club, who may be willing to sell just to see this ongoing saga come to a close. However, it remains to be seen whether Allan would be open to a move that isn’t heading in the direction of Ibrox. (Daily Express)

Hearts demand £500k for Jordan McGhee bid

Hearts will demand a minimum £500,000 before they consider selling Scotland Under-21 defender Jordan McGhee.

Ipswich Town have failed with two bids for the 19-year-old, the latest being £250,000, and Hearts want at least double that amount before they would begin negotiations.

The Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy needs a new centre-back ahead of the English Championship campaign and believes McGhee has the potential to play south of the Border. (Evening News)

Derek Riordan looks to win deal with Brechin

Former Hibernian, Celtic and Scotland striker Derek Riordan could join up with ex-Easter Road defender Darren Dods after playing for Brechin City in a bounce game last night.

The 32-year-old has been looking for a new club since leaving League 2 side East Fife when they lost out in the play-offs in May. Dods is player/manager of Brechin who faced Falkirk in a closed doors game yesterday at the University of Stirling.

The three-times capped player started his career at Hibs before moving to Celtic in 2006 for a two-year spell that ended when he returned to Edinburgh. (The Scotsman)

Richard Gough tips James Tavernier for £4m move

Former Rangers captain Richard Gough has likened summer signing James Tavernier to former favourite Gary Stevens after being very impressed with the full-back’s performance in the win over Peterhead.

The 24-year-old has caught the eye since making the move to Ibrox this summer, with a stunning free-kick in his debut against Hibs added to by another strike in the League Cup first round on Sunday.

Gough believes Tavernier represents a return to the days when Rangers boasted the kind of quality that would attract multi-million bids from English clubs. (The Scotsman)

Dundee United close to new deal with John Souttar

Dundee United and John Souttar are close to agreeing on a new contract for the highly-rated youngster and could make an announcement within the next few days.

Talks have been ongoing since the conclusion of last season and are finally at the stage where an agreement could be put in place.

The 18-year-old has been in excellent form since moving out of defence into the centre of midfield and was the subject of speculation regarding a move to Celtic this summer. (Evening Telegraph)

Deila: Qarabag pitch like ones we play in Scotland

Ronny Deila last night declared himself unconcerned about the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium pitch ahead of the Champions League qualifier against Qarabag in Azerbaijan.

The poor state of the scorched surface in sun-baked Baku has dominated the build-up to the second leg of the third qualification round, in which Celtic lead 1-0 against the Azerbaijan champions from the first game at Parkhead.

However, after Deila had a quick look at the pitch before the pre-match press conference at the ground, he said: “It is not a perfect pitch of course. But it is a pitch and we are used to playing in those types of pitches in Scotland in the winter so we have to make the best of the situation.” (The Scotsman)

• Former Hamilton groundsman Steve MacKinnon has been the man tasked with the almost impossible job of making Qarabag’s pitch a playable surface.

MacKinnon now works for UK-Azerbijani group FSM and they selected him to improve the state of the turf after it was badly damaged from track and field events at the European Championships earlier this summer. (Daily Record)

Craig Gordon: Collum was right not to send me off

Craig Gordon believes referee Willie Collum was “absolutely spot-on” not to send him off in Celtic’s 2-0 Ladbrokes Premiership win over Ross County on Saturday.

The Hoops goalkeeper brought down Jackson Irvine outside the box in the first half when the former Celtic player was clean through and the yellow card punishment sparked widespread debate.

However, Gordon, in Baku for the second leg of Celtic’s Champions League third qualifying round tie against Qarabag on Wednesday night, cannot understand the fuss.

He said: “I think the referee got the decision absolutely right.” (The Scotsman)