Rumour Mill: Schweinsteiger deal closer? | Celtic land £22m Euro windfall | Dundee United may sue ex-player

Celtic's play-off success could prompt a move for Bastian Schweinsteiger; Hoops set for huge cash boost after making the Champions League group stages and Dundee United may sue former player Mario Bilate

Bastian Schweinsteiger in action for Germany. Could the World Cup winner be on his way to Celtic after their paly-off win? Picture: Getty Images

Lajee Centre thanks Celtic and Green Brigade for fundraising drive

THE Lajee Centre near Bethlehem, a Palestinian cultural base, posted a video thanking Celtic supporters’ group for their fundraising efforts.

Could Celtic move for Schweinsteiger after Hapoel win?

CELTIC could be weighing up a move for World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger, amid suggestions that the club making the Champions League group stages could pave the way for a bid.

The Parkhead side pocketed more than £20 million after defeating Hapoel Beer-Sheva on aggregrate to advance to the lucrative group stages - and some of the money could be spent on attracting the frozen-out Manchester United midfielder to Glasgow.

Brendan Rodgers hasn’t ruled out a marquee signing - could a move for the former Bayern Munich ace be in the pipeline? (Various)

Hoops in the money after Beer-Sheva win

CELTIC’s passage into the Champions League group stages saw the club pick up £22 million - and their 11 Premiership rivals will get £200,000 each as part of a £2 million UEFA payment.

Some clubs believe the cash boost could be the difference between laying staff off or keeping them on.

The Hoops will get £1.75m for successfully navigating the play-offs, along with £10.3m for playing in the group stages. A second payment of £10m could be in the offing while teams will be awarded £1.3m for a group stage win, and just over £400,000 for a draw. (Daily Record)

United ‘could sue Bilate’

DUNDEE United could sue former striker Mario Bilate over comments he made about the club in a Dutch magazine.

The Tannadice club have sought legal advice after the Russian-born forward slammed the club’s medical staff in an article with Voetbal International, saying: “I had a pain in my hamstring, which was something I’d never experienced before. I was wrongly diagnosed. [Medical staff] didn’t spot the problems. The club didn’t give me an MRI scan. They drew up a recovery plan for me before they knew what my problems were.”

The club believes Bilate has breached the terms of a settlement which forbid him from talking about his time at United. (Daily Record)

Izaguirre available ‘for under £1m’

CELTIC are reportedly willing to let left back Emilio Izaguirre leave the club for less than £1 million.

Werder Bremen dropped their interest in the Honduran full back after Celtic reportedly demanded a seven-figure fee for the 30-year-old.

But reports suggest Celtic could accept a lower bid given he is in the final year of his contract. (Scottish Sun)

Barton’s cheeky tweet at Celtic aggregate win

JOEY Barton has insinuated Celtic were ‘lucky b*******’ to make it to the group stages of the Champions League after tweeting a clip from the movie Snatch.

The Rangers midfielder sent the tweet shortly after Celtic lost 2-0 in Israel, which was enough to see the Hoops defeat Hapoel Beer-Sheva 5-4 on aggregate.

Barton wrote: “Watching that Champions League Qualifier and thinking...” before embedding a clip of a scene from Snatch where Vinnie Jones’ character goes to shoot someone, only to run out of bullets, exclaiming “you lucky b******”. (The Scotsman)

Amoruso ‘sold Garner on Gers move’

JOE Garner has revealed how he was sold on his move to Rangers by former Ibrox skipper Lorenzo Amoruso.

The striker sealed his switch from Preston on Saturday after admitting it was too good a move to turn down. Garner revealed he has had one eye on the Light Blues since his days at Blackburn, when he shared a dressing room with Italian defender Amoruso. “When I was a kid at Blackburn, Lorenzo Amoruso came down from Rangers and didn’t shut up about what it was like when he was here,” Garner added. (The Scotsman)

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Malta No 2 Ray Farrigia has told Gordon Strachan that his side can beat Scotland in their World Cup qualifying match

• Inverness CT have taken former Dundee United defender Gavin Gunning on trial as they seek replacement for Kevin McNaughton, who is out injured for the season