Rangers activity heats up, Celtic facing €5m battle, Hearts to add duo - Scottish transfer news
All the latest Scottish transfer news on Tuesday morning - including reports from Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Kilmarnock and beyond.
The Scottish Premiership transfer window is now into its final run, with just nine days left for managers across the country to build their squads. The completed deals, reports and rumours are now moving at pace.
In your Tuesday morning transfer bulletin, we’ve got the all the latest news from Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Kilmarnock and beyond.
Kilmarnock reject bid
Kilmarnock have rebuffed an offer of £150,000 from EFL League One club Burton Albion for central defender George Stanger. The 26-year-old is in the final year of his contract at Rugby Park and is a key target for the Brewers this summer. However, head coach Neil McCann is reluctant to let him leave before the deadline, with the club likely to struggle to find a replacement in the final days of the transfer window.
The New Zealand defender is valued at more than the offer made by Gary Bowyer’s side, although they could return with an improved offer ahead of the September 3 deadline. Having lost defensive duo Alex Hartridge and Jasper Moon in the summer, the English outfit want to bolster their backline and provide cover for first-choice centre-back Curtis Tilt.
The former Hamilton and Ayr United player has been a regular starter for Kilmarnock since his arrival last summer and broke into the New Zealand national team recently. However, he is yet to win a senior cap for them.
Hearts to add duo
Hearts look set to add to their squad this month, with the Tynecastle club understood to be finalising a £100,000 transfer for winger Aron Benjaminsen. The 18-year-old currently plays for Vikingur Gota, where he has scored nine goals and claimed eight assists in 25 appearances this year in the Faroese top flight.
According to a report from our sister publication, the Edinburgh Evening News, the teenager was thought to have been identified by part-owner Tony Bloom’s data-based recruitment partner Jamestown Analytics. While the Gorgie outfit wants to tie up a deal before the Scottish transfer window ends on September 3, Benjaminsen’s current side are hoping to hold onto their star man under the Faroe Islands Cup final clash with KI on 5 September. However, any move to Scotland would need to be done before the deadline.
Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken is also close to finalising a deal for striker JJ Williams from USL Championship side Rhode Island FC. The player has landed in Edinburgh ahead of his medical and is set to sign his contract at Tynecastle once he has secured a UK work permit.
Celtic facing €5m battle
Celtic could become embroiled in a transfer tug-of-war for key midfield target Niko Sigur, with up to five clubs battling to sign him before the September 3 deadline. The 23-year-old has been on the Scottish champions' shopping list for weeks, with the versatile Canadian international targeted after his impressive performances at this summer’s World Cup with the co-host.
Sigur’s value has risen to around €5million after several clubs on the continent made their interest in the player clear to his club, Hajduk Split. According to reports in Europe, English Premier League sides Leeds United and Coventry City also have interest in the player, while Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse are understood to have had a bid of around £2.5million rejected by the Croatian giants.
Sigur was left out of his side’s league game against Osijek at the weekend, citing a ‘minor injury’, with Hajduk determined to hang onto the player until their Conference League playoff second-leg tie with Rakow on Thursday.
Rangers activity heats up
Rangers are edging closer to a deal for Girona winger Kim Min-su after the club agreed to pay the £8.5million release clause to activate his release from the Spanish side. Interest in the South Korean youngster emerged last week, with manager Derek McInnes desperate to add more creativity at the top end of the pitch. The 20-year-old has not had a medical with Rangers, though a deal is edging closer to completion.
Born in Gwangju, the left winger moved to Spain early in his career, spending two years at youth club CF Damm before transferring to Girona. Min-su spent time on loan with FC Andorra in the Spanish second tier last season, where he caught the eye of Rangers’ recruitment team by scoring six goals and assisting four more. His form at Estadi de la FAF landed him a place in Girona’s starting XI for their opening game draw with Leganes last week. His story with the Spanish club appears to be drawing to a close though, with Rangers agreeing to meet his release clause fee to bring him to Glasgow.
Elsewhere, Rangers have not given up hope of signing Brighton winger Amario Cozier-Duberry, despite having a £7.5million bid for the youngster rejected by the club. In search of further additions on the right flank, the Glasgow giants were close to securing a deal for PSV Eindhoven attacker Couhaib Driouech earlier this month, only to pull out at the final hour following medical tests.
The Ibrox club have also been credited with an interest in Dynamo Kyiv left-back Kostyantyn Vivcharenko. According to reports, the club are looking for further reinforcements at full-back following Tuur Rommens’ groin injury, and view the 24-year-old as someone who can challenge James Penrice for a place in the starting XI.
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