Celtic ace 'targeted' amid £100m deal, Rangers exit planned, Scotland man in demand - Scottish transfer news
All the latest Scottish transfer news - including reports from Rangers, Celtic, Aberdeen and Dundee United
The Scottish Premiership season ended less than a fortnight ago and yet the summer transfer rumours, reports and deals are already in full swing as clubs across Scotland look to add to their squads ahead of next season.
In your Friday morning transfer bulletin, we’ve got the latest transfer reports from Celtic, Rangers, the Scotland national team, and beyond:
Aberdeen confirm arrival of Killie duo
Aberdeen have confirmed the pre-contract signing of Lewis Mayo and Brad Lyons from Kilmarnock following the expiry of the duo’s contracts at Rugby Park. Head coach Stephen Robinson is hoping to rebuild the Dons squad this summer after guiding them safely away from relegation following his appointment in March, and has been active in the days since the season ended, with Lyons signing a two-year deal with the club, while Mayo has put pen to paper on a longer three-year contract.
The Pittodrie outfit has also secured the Bosman free transfer signing of midfielder Alexander Briedl, who will join from Blau-Weiss Linz when his contract ends at the second-tier Austrian club next month. It is reported that Robinson believes the 24-year-old is a pivotal signing as he looks to develop his style of play at Aberdeen.
Falkirk snap up former Livingston defender
Falkirk have confirmed the signing of Scottish full-back Jack McMillan on a two-year deal from Exeter City. The 28-year-old defender becomes John McGlynn’s second signing of the summer. McMillan began his career in Motherwell's academy and has also had spells with Livingston and Partick Thistle in Scotland prior to his move to the EFL League One outfit in the summer of 2024.
“Jack is a player we have been talking to for the last month,” said assistant manager Paul Smith. “We are delighted that he has agreed to sign for us. We tried to sign him two years ago when he was leaving Partick Thistle, but he went down south to play for Exeter City where over the last two seasons he has played 95 games and probably played just about 90 minutes in every game. Jack is a right back who can fill in all across the backline and played a lot of the time last season in the middle of the park, so he covers a lot of positions for us which is great to have.
“Coming from a family of Falkirk fans I am absolutely delighted to join the club and will do everything I can to help the team to continue building on the success they have had over the last few seasons under the manager and Paul” said McMillan upon his arrival at the Falkirk Stadium.
Trio chase Scotland striker
Scotland international Lyndon Dykes is said to be ‘assessing his options’ ahead of becoming a free agent this summer. The 30-year-old striker signed a short-term deal with Charlton Athletic in January, scoring five goals and assisting a further three to help the Addicks navigate away from the relegation spots in the EFL Championship.
After impressing for Nathan Jones’ side in the second half of the campaign, he has been offered a chance to extend his stay in south-east London. However, he is yet to agree a new deal with Charlton, which has alerted fierce rivals Millwall, as well as recently relegated Leicester City, to his availability.
It is believed both clubs have already made offers to the former Livingston striker, and Dykes will now spend time mulling over his next transfer move. Included in Steve Clarke’s Scotland 26-man squad for the World Cup next month, Dykes is likely to play a major role for the national team at the tournament.
Celtic ace ‘ideal replacement’ for £100m man
Celtic midfielder Arne Engels has been told he’d be the ideal replacement for Elliot Anderson at Nottingham Forest if the club opt to cash in on the England international this summer. The Belgian midfielder was the subject of a failed £25million bid from the English Premier League outfit on deadline day in February, with manager Martin O’Neill desperate to hang onto his star midfielder as he battled with both Hearts and Rangers to secure a fifth successive league title.
However, reports claim that Forest remain interested in the 22-year-old heading into the summer transfer window, and a former Scotland international believes Engels is likely to be the type of player Vitor Pereira will be interested in signing if they lose Anderson this summer, who has been linked with a £100million move to Manchester City.
“Arne Engels was great in the recent Old Firm,” Snodgrass told Booker. “I thought he added that sort of fitness level that Celtic had probably missed towards the back end of the season. Now that he's won the league, he needs to get to the levels that he wants to. I think it’s been a little bit stop-start for Engels if I’m honest. It’s hard to put a price tag on him but with Nottingham Forest being big admirers, I think they’ll have a think about signing him as an Elliot Anderson replacement because he’s definitely got the potential.”
Rangers exit ‘planned’
Rangers striker Bojan Miovski is reportedly ready to quit Ibrox after less than a year at the club following the arrival of Lawrence Shankland from Hearts on a free transfer earlier this week. The North Macedonian striker was a major signing for former boss Russell Martin last summer, but struggled for regular game time, starting just 13 league games for the club as they finished in a disappointing third place.
Already behind Youssef Chermiti and Ryan Naderi in the Rangers pecking order, the 26-year-old marksman has now fallen further down the rankings after the arrival of Scotland international Shankland, and it is now claimed he will seek a transfer away from the club before the season gets underway again in August. According to reports, Miovski is not prepared to play a bit-part role for Rangers next season and feels that a move is in his best interests.
Early this week, Scottish Premiership runners-up Hearts were urged to take a look at the former Aberdeen striker by former Scotland international Michael Stewart. Speaking on the Scottish Football Social Club, head coach Derek McInnes was urged to consider him as a replacement for Shankland, citing his ability as a “top-class finisher.”
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