Celtic sent warning, Rangers aiming to finalise latest deal, SPFL star in big move - Scottish transfer news
Here are some of the latest Scottish transfer news stories including Rangers, Celtic and more.
The competitive season is here for Scottish clubs as Rangers, Celtic and more get down to transfer business.
World Cup action is drawing to a conclusion which will put club matters firmly back on the agenda. Rangers and Hearts have made a flurry of signings but criticisms of Celtic over slow recruitment have started to raise their head again. There’s still time for deals to be done before the first week of Premiership action in under a fortnight’s time.
In your Sunday morning transfer bulletin, we have all the latest reports, rumours and completed deals with news from Rangers, Celtic, Hearts and beyond.
Celtic sent transfer warning
Hoops icon Paul Lambert has warned his ex-side that they are not good enough to compete this term with the squad in its current state. Celtic drew 1-1 with Middlesbrough in a friendly on Saturday as the former midfielder raised concerns on Sportsound of recruitment done so far with just forward Camilo Duran arriving. He said: "If you don't spend, you stand still. That's always the key. You have to improve. Listen, I've seen Celtic – they're nowhere near good enough at this moment in time, nowhere near it. "I think everybody recognises it and knows it.
"You get [Daizen] Maeda, who turned up for about six games last season, so that's not enough over a season, it's not enough. You need people to do it consistently over the course of a season. Because they want a move, you get six or seven games out of them at the end of the season – it doesn't work, you have to get guys that do it over a long period of time. The problem they've got at the minute is, the squad was very limited last season – they won't get away with that again. The manager knows it... They need ready-made players. And the infrastructure has got to be so important for them to do that.But they need ready-made players that know how to win football matches because you won't get away with it, not this time. The squad's not strong enough, you can see that."
Rangers transfer latest
At Ibrox, Rangers are keen to tie up a deal for Partizan Belgrade captain Vanja Dragojevic, as interest grows in Nico Raskin. A £4m deal to bring the midfielder to Ibrox has been agreed to the Daily Record and Rangers ‘are looking to finalise the deal, personal terms and gain a work permit.’ Tromso’s Jens Hjerto-Dahl remains a target but Cardiff City are providing competition.
Raskin is on the radar of several clubs in Europe after a standout World Cup with Belgium. A £20m fee has been claimed in some quarters and it’s said ‘some of the offers on the table are getting close to the figure Rangers want and a deal could be struck imminently.’ Ross McCrorie, Lawrence Shankland, Cammy Devlin, Ivor Pandur, Dan Neil and Ben Godfrey. have already arrived this summer.
Who has Elliot Watt joined?
Motherwell have confirmed the exit of midfielder Elliot Watt to Turkish Super Lig side Samsunspor. The former Scotland U21 international joined on a free transfer from St Johnstone last summer and has been sold for a reported seven-figure fee after a standout term that included PFA Scotland Team of the Year inclusion.
Watt said: “I would like to take this chance to thank everyone connected to the club for the last 12 months.12 months that have changed my career and life. The support and positivity I felt from the first minute arrived gave me the confidence to learn, improve and perform. I hope I was able to put a smile on the fans’ faces. My family and I will be forever grateful and will always be watching; we will hopefully be back soon. I don’t think I will be able to keep my boys away from Fir Park for too long. I wish the club every success going forward, especially this season in Europe. Mon the well.”
Claudio Braga on Hearts future
Claudio Braga insists he’s happy at Hearts amid speculation surrounding him. The striker has gained attention off the back of a strong first campaign in Scotland where he won several Player of the Year awards after his arrival from Aalesunds in Norway. Ligue 1’s Lyon are interested, as are other clubs, with Hearts seeking £8m to £10m to sell Braga. They face Sturm Graz in the first leg of their Champions League second round qualifier on Tuesday.
Braga said: “We have a very, very important game, maybe one of the most important games for the club in the past years. I'm here and I'm completely focused on that. Of course, it’s interest, but at the same time, I can't focus about that while I'm here. I’m here, I'm a Hearts player and that's all you guys need to know, and that's all I need to feel. I’m a Hearts player and I'm here 100 per cent. I'm trying to be as professional as I can and not care about that, because I leave that to my agents. We had talks in the beginning but I told him exactly the same as I told you guys. I’m here 100 per cent. I'm a Heart player. I'm really happy. I was really happy here last year. It didn't change nothing. I'm really happy now. Of course, there may be interest or not, but that's something that I can't control or can't focus on while I'm here. That would just be bad for me and for the club. I’m just focussing on Stum Graz now.”
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