Rangers prepare for £5m bid as Celtic set for unexpected transfer battle

Rangers and Celtic have both returned from a disappointing foray in European Football with the Gers not recording a single point. They are, however, both firmly at the top of the Scottish Premiership with Celtic currently seven points clear of their fierce local rivals. Rangers first match back after their Champions League disaster saw them lose 2-1 to St Johnstone but they have since rectified this defeat with a 1-0 triumph over Hearts.

Celtic, on the other hand, suffered a 5-1 loss to Real Madrid in their final Champions League fixture but have since beaten Dundee United 4-2 and Motherwell 2-1 in their return to the Premiership. The two sides will continue their fight for the top two spots this weekend with Celtic taking on Ross County at home and Rangers travelling to St Mirren as the first phase of the league progresses.

With the January transfer window drawing closer, and the Gers boss coming under increasing pressure, here is all you need to know about the latest transfer news from both Celtic and Rangers…

Rangers plan £5m bid

According to Sports World Ghana, the Gers are reportedly interested in signing the Bristol City star Antoine Semenyo come the January transfer window. Semenyo’s contract expires with Ashton Gate expires at the end of the season and Gio van Bronckhorst has initially been reported to want to bring the player in next summer, it is now thought the Gers would be willing to offer Bristol City £5m to sign the player much sooner.

The Ashton Gate side would be weary of losing him on a free transfer come the summer and could well be keen to accept the offered £5m but many fear that Ghanian 22-year-old has scored only 17 goals in 115 games for City, could prove a costly gamble.

Celtic prepared for unexpected transfer battle

It is likely that Ange Postecoglou’s side could face an unexpected battle for a player who has been one of the biggest flop signings at the club over the past few years. Greek goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas joined Celtic Park back in 2020 for a fee of around £4.5m but the move did not work out as expected and he is now on loan at the Dutch outfit Utrecht.

The editor-in-chief at Greek newspaper Sportime, Giannis Chorianopoulos, has now provided an update saying Utrecht may well offer a permanent deal for the goalie. Taking to Twitter, Chorianopoulos said: “Vasilis Barkas has had a really good season at FC Utrecht on loan from Celtic (14 matches/5 clean sheets). Utrecht would like to make the transfer permanent but also other clubs are keeping an eye on Greek GK.”

Barkas performed well during his time in his home country, and it is thought that those other clubs ‘keeping an eye’ on the goalkeeper will be those from his native land.

European club set to raid Ibrox youngster

The Turkish side, Besiktas, is reportedly hopeful of bringing back their former player, Ridvan Yilmaz, during the summer transfer window. Rangers bought the 21-year-old this summer but Yilmaz has struggled to adapt to Scottish football and is now currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, unlikely to return until December.

According to the Turkish outlet En Son Haber (via Insidefutbol), the new Besiktas boss Senol Gunes has kept a close eye on the left-back and is hopeful of signing him on loan come January. However, it is currently unknown how Rangers are set to respond.