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Celtic’s move for Hadjuk Split defender Mario Vuskovic is getting closer, according to Croatian outlet Slobodna Dalmacija.

The Lowdown: Vuskovic to replace Ajer?

Should Vuskovic complete a move to Celtic Park, he could end up replacing Kristoffer Ajer in Glasgow. The Norwegian is thought to be unhappy with the Hoops after they rejected two bids around £10m for his services.

He has made it clear that he wants to leave the club this summer, so should the 23-year-old get his wish, Vuskovic could fill the void left by Ajer.

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The Latest: Croatian outlet shares update

The Scottish Sun claimed on Thursday that the Hoops opened talks with Hadjuk Split over a £5m deal for the 19-year-old. According to Slobodna Dalmacija, Vuskovic is now getting closer to Celtic, with Ange Postecoglou pushing for a deal to be finalised.

The report added that the Hoops have offered the defender a €700,000 salary, which converts to £600,000 annually (£11,500 per week).

Slobodna Dalmacija end their story by saying ‘Celtic seems like a good destination’ – a possible boost for the Hoops when it comes to defensive reinforcements.

The Verdict: Hoops could be getting a top prospect

The Guardian included Vuskovic in their 60 next generation talents back in 2018, so he’s clearly highly regarded across Europe. He has since broken through into the first team picture, making a total of 44 appearances for Hadjuk Split, 33 of which came last season.

Vuskovic’s displays over the past 12 months have clearly been impressive, with his Transfermarkt valuation rocketing from £473,000 in April 2020 to £5.85m this month.

Celtic watched him on a number occasions last season, and it seems as if a deal is progressing nicely.

In other news: Alan Nixon provides Aaron Hickey to Celtic update, find out more here. 

Glasgow Rangers man Ianis Hagi has not been included in Romania’s squad for the Olympic Games in Tokyo later this summer.

The Lowdown: Gers didn’t want Hagi at the Olympics

Hagi confirmed his desire to take part in the Olympics this summer (via Glasgow Live), but the Gers did not want him to go.

That would clash with the start of the Gers’ Champions League run, and given there was no obligation for the Gers to let him go, they decided to keep him at Ibrox.

The Latest: Confirmation

Now, Romania’s squad for the tournament has been confirmed, and Hagi’s name does not feature (frf.ro) with the Gers getting their way.

20 players have been selected – they will kick off against Honduras on July 22nd.

The Verdict: Disappointing for Hagi

Of course, Hagi will have been aware of the situation for quite a while, but that does not mean this will not come as a crushing blow for the young man having expressed his desire to join in.

The £5.85m-valued 22-year-old (Transfermarkt) has made it clear he wanted to represent his country, and to do so at the Olympics is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

It does at least illustrate however that Steven Gerrard sees Hagi as an important member of his squad – otherwise, he would not have fought so hard to keep him in Scotland at the start of the term. Now, the former Genk man must do all he can to make sure it was worth him staying with his club.

In other news, Rangers fans love this photo.

Rafa Benitez has long been pencilled in as the manager that PCP Capital Partners wanted to take the club forward into a better period, but with the Spaniard now being appointed as Everton’s new boss that may throw a spanner in the works as he was the one that got the consortium interested, according to Liam Kennedy from the Shields Gazette.

Benitez was and still is a fan favourite on Tyneside for the work he did both on and off the pitch as he was often found helping out the local food bank in Newcastle, but he also understood what the club meant to the fans, which led to him getting his own flag being spread across the Gallowgate Stand.

PCP Capital Partners would obviously love to be handed the keys to Newcastle United even without Rafa Benitez at the helm, but there is no doubting that he was a huge factor in bringing them to the table to start with, something Kennedy confirmed to Football FanCast:

“Rafa Benitez and his people were really key to bringing PCP Capital Partners to the table at Newcastle United.”

Everyone involved in the potential takeover are eager for it to be pushed through and start pushing Newcastle onto a new beginning, and that will hopefully start with their new kit sponsor which was announced Friday morning as Castore will be designing the Magpies’ kits for the next few seasons.

Castore have also ensured that they will now run both the club store and their online website to ensure that they are offering the best service and products to Newcastle United fans, which is a step in the right direction as the store had previously been run as a Sports Direct shop.

Ange Postecoglou has only been at Celtic for a few weeks but he already knows what it would have felt like to be the boss last season.

The Australian has been busy preparing his players for their first pre-season friendly clash in Wales on Wednesday afternoon but he will be without the services of one of his star players.

Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard have travelled despite their futures in Glasgow remaining unclear but one man who isn’t in the squad is James Forrest.

The Scot was ready to return from international duty at the European Championships but he won’t be able to train for a while.

Forrest was deemed a close contact of somebody with the virus and will now have to self isolate.

As a result, he won’t play against Sheffield Wednesday this week and he could also be a doubt for their Champions League qualifying clash with Midtjylland on 20th July.

This is a huge blow to Postecoglou who will be incredibly gutted that he can’t begin to figure out how the winger fits into his plans.

On his day, Forrest is one of the most consistent figures at the club. He found the net on 16 occasions in 2019/20 and provided a further 22 assists for his troubles.

Last term was a wretched one for the Scotland international who actually missed a large part of the season through injury.

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The 30-year-old was absent for 38 matches due to two separate ankle problems and could have really done with a full pre-season.

Therefore, to miss the opportunity to regain his fitness and play more games will come as a bitter blow to the player and his club.

Forrest hasn’t managed 90 minutes for Celtic since the Hoops drubbed Ross County 5-0 last September so any form of match action would be invaluable for him right now.

He will also miss the opportunity to impress the new manager and get accustomed to his play style.

With Celtic lacking right-sided options, it only elevates the blow at hand. Although a winger by trade, Postecoglou could have chosen to operate him in a wing-back position during pre-season.

After all, the club’s only viable options at right-back lack first-team football in Anthony Ralston and Lee O’Connor.

The Bhoys will hope that once his isolation period ends, Forrest comes back fit and firing swiftly.

AND in other news, Celtic eye bargain swoop for 24 y/o “monster”, Postecoglou will adore him…

Noel Whelan believes that Glasgow Rangers will sell several fringe players this summer as they aim to resolve a sizeable gap in the club’s finances.

The Lowdown: £14m funding gap emerges

A recent article in The Athletic has revealed the Gers have a £14m funding gap to plug.

That comes after £40m was invested into the playing squad in recent years, and there have been no lucrative sales to counteract that outlay.

The Latest: Whelan hints at sales

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan hinted that there could be several departures from Ibrox in this transfer window. He said:

“We do know that every club has been financially hit by Covid.

“There’s no doubt about that. I don’t care if you’re a Manchester City, a Chelsea, a Rangers or a Celtic. Everyone’s been hit by it hard.

“I think there might be a few that are going to be surplus to requirements. Who that may be, we don’t know.

“If it is a big signing somewhere along the lines that needs to go, Steven Gerrard will have the last word on that.

“If that is the case and they need to bridge that gap of £14million, I’m guessing it could be chopped by half, with some fringe players.”

“Steven Gerrard might say: ‘He’s not that important to the team.

“‘We can get along nicely without him with players we already have. Players who are more important in certain positions.'”

The Verdict: Money to be made

Unfortunately, it seems that Rangers are in a position where they must sell a few players this summer – managing director Stewart Robertson suggested this would be the case as far back as December (BBC). However, their Premiership success and potential Champions League run could mean that they might not need to move on any of their star players.

At the moment, the Gers have a large squad – there are 32 players in the first team roster as it stands (Transfermarkt) – and they are particularly saturated up front and at centre-back. If the Gers do need money, Ross Wilson and co have a number of players they can try to offload in order to make some quick cash.

In other news, Dave King slams Rangers fans after this development.

Everton are reportedly battling a rival in the Premier League to try and sign Haris Seferovic in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Seferovic impresses

Seferovic has just come off the back of a successful Euro 2020 campaign with Switzerland, as he helped knock out the reigning World Champions and favourites France in the last 16 with two bullet headers.

He was also very much a man on form for Benfica in the 2020/21 season, scoring no fewer than 26 goals and making a further seven assists in 48 matches in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Seferovic interest

As per A Bola (via Sport Witness), both the Goodison Park faithful as well as West Ham United are interested in his signature, after he linked up with the Benfica squad to start pre-season.

The Merseyside club are said to be particularly drawn to Seferovic because of some of his impressive displays at the Euros, but no official moves have been made as of yet.

The Verdict: Sign

Seferovic is clearly a proven goal scorer, and Rafa Benitez will need another one of them in his team in order to ease the burden off of Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Remarkably, he was likened to Diego Maradona by former Benfica star Joao Alves back in April because of his cultured left-foot and passing ability, which is a good extra quality to have for a striker.

Nonetheless, the Toffees would be getting one over on one of their rivals for European places if they manage to secure his services.

In other news, find out what Blues update has Evertonians buzzing here!

Celtic have had an exciting week as they continue their preparations for the new season.

They’ve signed a plethora of new players including Liel Abada and Kyogo Furuhashi while the Hoops’ Champions League qualifying campaign kicked off on Tuesday.

On the chalkboard

Celtic looked productive in the final third against Midtjylland but unfortunately, they were only able to come away from their first-leg clash with a 1-1 draw.

One of the primary reasons was some lacklustre defending.

Stephen Welsh gave away a cheap free-kick that was plundered home when arguably, Vasilis Barkas, should have done a lot better to prevent it from going in.

Abada had opened the scoring for the Bhoys on his debut but his fellow countryman, Nir Bitton, let his side down once again.

He was given a second yellow card after a severe rush of blood. He was annoyed with Anders Dreyer for simulation and consequently, poked a finger in the attacker’s face which was enough to provoke his marching orders.

Bitton was somewhat of a liability last season and this latest calamity will do himself no favours with the Celtic supporters.

Speaking after his dismissal, Bhoys Analytics said on Twitter that he was a “walking joke.”

The solution

Celtic are planning to replace the exit-bound Kristoffer Ajer with the signing of Carl Starfelt from Rubin Kazan.

However, in order to improve on their dismal defensive record last term, they will also need to find a way to improve on Bitton.

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The Hoops shipped 16 more goals than Rangers in the Premiership last season and without Ajer, you sense the gap will only grow larger.

Though, if Ange Postecoglou lands two capable centre halves, they should be able to narrow things instead.

Celtic have also been linked with a move for Hajduk Split defender Mario Vuskovic this summer, a player who should be an instant upgrade.

One of Bitton’s biggest criticisms is a lack of composure. However, Vuskovic doesn’t lack anything in that department.

After being named in the Guardian’s Next-Gen list for 2018, reporter Aleksandar Holiga was effusive in his praise: “He’s not just dominant in challenges but also exceptional in build-up play. He often scores goals and can score from free-kicks like a No 10.”

The young Croatian isn’t a typical defender but that’s what sets him apart from Bitton, a player who can be rather hot-headed.

The 6 foot 2 colossus won fewer aerial duels than the Israeli last season but won fractionally more defensive duels as a whole in terms of percentages.

A deal may cost Celtic in the region of £5m and after their defensive display on Tuesday evening in the Champions League, he’s clearly needed.

A defensive duo of Starfelt and Vuskovic has enormous potential at Parkhead.

AND in other news, As bad as Bitton: £5.5k-p/w Celtic dud who lost possession 19x massively let Ange down…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans are delighted with an image of a small model Gers shirt which has been shared on Twitter.

The Gers are preparing for the new campaign after a fantastic 2020/21. They won the Premiership for the first time in 10 years as they went through the whole league campaign without experiencing a single defeat (thefishy.co.uk), and they are now in with a chance of reaching the Champions League group stage.

However, Twitter user @TinyJerseys has been looking to Rangers’ past rather than the future, and has put together a fantastic miniature model featuring a Gers jersey from the 1996/97 season, famously worn by the likes of Ally McCoist, Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup. The attention to detail in the design is impressive, to say the least.

An image of the shirt was shared on the @TinyJerseys account and it attracted plenty of attention from Gers supporters. These fans to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the ‘tremendous’ design.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the image

“Exquisite”

Credit: @jackfrankwitts

“Outstanding”

Credit: @GoterborgL

“Tremendous.”

Credit: @BaldyBanger

“Top draw as always pal”

Credit: @CugeC1

“Excellent again”

Credit: @wearra61

“Do you sell these, they are fantastic”

Credit: @bobstar1701

In other news, Rangers are set to sell this “fautless” ace.

Glasgow Rangers fans are livid with comments made on Clyde Superscoreboard in regards to star striker Alfredo Morelos.

It has already been a busy summer for 25-year-old Morelos. The forward has been away at the Copa America with Colombia, and stayed with the side until the penultimate day of the tournament as his country finished third. The former HJK Helsinki man has also been heavily linked with a move away from Ibrox, with Porto in particular interested in his services (A Bola).

Clyde radio had been discussing the striker’s return to Glasgow, and they got some vital bits of information wrong, it seems. Not only did they says Morelos is not yet back in Glasgow – he is – they also said he had finished international duty before before Filip Helander and Borna Barisic, which was also false.

The supporters, it seems, were far from happy with the misinformation, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the mainstream media (MSM).

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Morelos comments below

“Thought that myself. Sweden and Croatia both went out almost two weeks before Colombia went out the Copa America”

Credit: @KG367919716

“Once again, the outstanding journalism from the MSM that Rangers are denying us.”

Credit: @marshalldave38

“Hence the reason MSM are at an all time low, agenda driven media with no research at all…. And they wonder why they are dying”

Credit: @boxing_rugby

“Sort it out”

Credit: @bobbybatemn1872

“Yes Wiliam was …….poor”

Credit: @howudiddling

“The misinformation on @ClydeSSB in the last 2 minutes has been mental. He’s back in Glasgow. He played in the 3rd/4th place play-off so didn’t finish before Barisic or Helander. Give us peace ya rockets.”

Credit: @kenny47110

In other news, Rangers fans laud this man against Real Madrid.

Nottingham Forest have been dealt a major blow in their bid to bring Lee Buchanan to the City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Nottingham Forest’s move for the Derby County left-back is thought to have stalled.

It was reported that Chris Hughton’s side had made two offers for the defender, with the first bid rejected due to it being below the Rams’ asking price, while a second improved offer was knocked back due to Derby’s unwillingness to sell to their local rivals.

This appears to have been a knockout blow for Forest, as, in response to a fan asking for an update on the situation of Buchanan, Nixon said: “Don’t think Forest anymore. So that one has stalled.”

Murphy will be fuming

Considering the fact that Derby are in the midst of quite a severe financial crisis, the fact that the Rams have held firm on their stance regarding the sale of the highly-rated defender is sure to have left CEO Dane Murphy fuming.

Indeed, with Forest currently lacking depth at left-back, as Hughton has informed Gaetan Bong that he is free to leave the club this summer after already allowing Yuri Ribeiro to leave on a free transfer, a signing in the position would appear to be a priority for the Reds ahead of their upcoming Championship campaign.

Considering how much potential the £2.25m-rated Buchanan seems to possess, having provided three assists and created four big chances over his 35 Championship appearances last season – as well as Wayne Rooney claiming that the 20-year-old is “one of the best young left-backs in the country” – missing out on his signing is undoubtedly a major blow for the club.

However, with it appearing as if the Garibaldi’s pursuit of the England under-21 international has reached a dead end, Murphy will now have to turn his attention in the summer transfer market elsewhere.

In other news: Nixon reveals fresh twist on “unbelievable” £2.5k-p/w dynamo, NFFC fans will be gutted