Scottish transfers: 22y/o defender linked with Rangers, Celtic eye starlet, Hibs cash boost, Tierney developments

With many teams now back in pre-season training and looking ahead to the upcoming 2023/24 campaign, transfer activity is set to be turned up a notch over the coming weeks.

We take a look at some of the stories and rumours that are doing the rounds across Scottish football this Sunday morning …

Rangers linked with Burnley defender

Manager Michael Beale has already added six new faces to his squad, but more incomings are anticipated. The latest name to be linked with a move to Ibrox is Burnley centre-half Bobby Thomas, a 22-year-old who recently had loan spells at Bristol Rovers and Barnsley. Rangers are in the market for another defender, with Nottingham Forest’s Jonathan Panzo a long-standing target, while the protracted chase for Ecuadorian midfielder Jose Cifuentes continues.

Bobby Thomas impressed on loan at Barnsley last season.

Watford starlet on Celtic radar

Celtic are reported to be one of the clubs eyeing up a move for Watford’s teenage forward Jack Grieves. The highly-rated 18-year-old, who is also attracting interest from Brentford, make his debut for the Hornets last season and while he has supposedly been offered a new contract at Vicarage Road, he is yet to agree on terms.

Celtic target told to improve

Reported Celtic transfer target Yang Hyun-Jun has been urged to up his game by his current manager at Gangwon. The 21-year-old has been heavily mooted with a move to Parkhead, but played for his current K-League team on Friday in a 1-1 draw with Gwangju and his performance did not impress gaffer Han Kook-young, who said: “There’s been a lot of noise about Yang both on and off the pitch. So I had a chat with him. I told him that even if he leaves, there is a difference between leaving with a good impression with the team and leaving with a bad image of him.”

Arsenal zone in on Tierney

Newcastle United are now prioritising a move for Scotland defender Kieran Tierney after another one of their targets, Anthonee Robinson, decided to commit his future to Fulham. Tierney, 26, is not a regular at Arsenal and is reported by Football Insider to be meeting manager Mikel Arteta next week to discuss his future. The Magpies have been long-term admirers of the ex-Celtic player and are bolstering their squad following qualification for the Champions League.

Austrian move likely for Johnston

Motherwell youngster Max Johnston is on the verge of a move to Sturm Graz. The defender, who is also wanted by Stoke City, is set to land a four-year deal with the Austrian outfit and earn the Steelmen a fee in the region of £300,000, according to reports in the Daily Record.

Hibs set for seven-figure windfall

Scotland Under-21 defender Josh Doig is moving closer to a move to Torino. The 21-year-old is leaving Verona after a year with the Serie A club and after being at the centre of a tug of war between the Turin outfit and Bologna, it is the former who have won the race. “Josh Doig will sign for Torino,” Bologna sports director Giovanni Sartori in a TV interview. With a hefty sell-on clause in place, Hibs are set to net a seven-figure sum.

Former Hibs hero lands new club

Ex-Hibs midfielder Dylan McGeouch, who was part of the team that won the Scottish Cup in 2016, has signed for Carlisle United. The 30-year-old was a free agent after leaving Forest Green Rovers earlier in the summer and has penned a two-year deal with the newly promoted Skybet League One outfit.