We're almost two weeks into the January transfer window and business is booming for clubs across Scotland.
With Celtic looking for new recruits to save their Premiership title hopes and and a new centre-back is top of the shopping list if they are to have any hope of dragging Rangers back.
Motherwell's Declan Gallagher has been linked, while the club has missed out on bringing back Filip Benkovic after he joined Leuven on-loan.
There could also be outgoings from Celtic Park as Kris Ajer's recurring link to AC Milan has reappeared in Italian media outlets,
Rangers are running away with the title but they are still in the market to add to their ranks. Derek McInnes confirmed that talks are underway over a move for Scott Wright.
The winger is out of contract in the summer but McInnes also warned that a January move won't be on the table unless the offer is right.
Young strikers Juan Alegria and Fashion Sakala are also on the Ibrox shortlist as Steven Gerrard looks to the future.
Hibs have secured Jackson Irvine on a free transfer. while in England Paul Pogba's future remains up in the air despite firing Manchester United top of the Premier League.
There's also the small matter of Lionel Messi to keep an eye on as fresh questions are being asked about his future after he missed training ahead of the Supercopa clash with Athletic Bilbao.
Stick with us for all the latest in Scotland and beyond.
Key Events
EXCLUSIVE! Clark set for new Dundee Utd deal
Nicky Clark will pen a new two-year contract with Dundee United, writes Scott Burns.
Rivals Dundee were keen on pre-contract talks but the Tannadice club were already well down the road of an extension with their top scorer.
Clark has a clause in his contract that he would have hit this month to trigger an extension for next season.
United, however, are keen to reward the striker, who has 10 goals this season, and have offered a deal that will keep him at Tannadice until the summer of 2023.
The paperwork is expected to be signed off this week.
READ MORE: Nicky Clark set for new Dundee United deal as club move to fend off city rivals
Duffy approach claim
Nottingham Forest have reportedly made a loan. approach for Shane Duffy.
The Scottish Sun report the Championship outfit have made contact with Brighton over the defender, currently at Celtic.
Duffy has had a disappointing spell in Glasgow thus far but, at the weekend, assistant boss John Kennedy insisted he was going nowhere.
Neilson on GMS arrival and targets
The 30-year-old joined on a two-and-a-half year deal from New York City last week and could make his debut in the Championship trip to Alloa on Saturday.
Neilson is also keen to recruit another striker this month to bolster his side’s title push. Hearts are on course for an immediate return to the top-flight after opening up a five-point gap at the summit.
And Neilson admits he is targeting players that can help the side become a force to be reckoned with in the Scottish game.
Omar Colley pens new Sampdoria deal
Former Celtic target Omar Colley has brought an end to speculation over his future by penning a new long-term contract with Sampdoria.
The 28-year-old was one of a number of centre-backs on Neil Lennon's shortlist but Sampdoria's reluctance to sell priced the Hoops out.
He has now signed a new deal until 2025.
Amad Diallo buzzing for fresh start
New Manchester United arrival Amad Diallo has spoken publicly for the first time since joining from Atalanta, and says he's buzzing to get started in the Premier League.
United shelled out an initial £18m to sign the player back in the summer but had to wait until January to cross the I's and dot the T's.
The 19-year-old made just a handful of appearances in Italy but is excited about kicking on in his fresh surroundings.
He told the United website:
I’m over the moon to be here. I’m so excited to start here at Manchester United. It’s a dream come true and I can’t wait to start and play with the guys.
It’s been a little bit strange these last few months. I would have hoped to have played a little bit more with Atalanta, but it wasn’t possible.
Now I’m here and I’m very happy to be here. I’m expecting a lot from my experience here and I’m looking forward to starting.
DONE DEAL! Lyon sign Slimani as Dembele replacement
Lyon have signed Leicester striker Islam Slimani on a permanent deal, after Moussa Dembele completed his move to Atletico Madrid.
The Algerian striker enjoyed a productive spell with Monaco last season, scoring nine times in 19 appearances, but has turned out just once under Brendan Rodgers this term.
The 32-year-old has signed an 18-month deal with Lyon.
Dembele move official
It was confirmed by French media earlier, but Atletico Madrid have officially announced Moussa Dembele on an initial six-month loan.
The former Celtic striker has struggled for form this season as he recovers from injury but has remained an important player for Lyon when fit.
Reports claim Atletico can make the move permanent for €33.5million (£29.8m) but there is no obligation to do so.
An Atleti statement reads:
Atlético de Madrid have reached an agreement with Olympique Lyonnais over the loan of Moussa Dembélé until the end of the season.
The Frenchman (Pontoise, 12 July 1996) passed his medical at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra and is now a Red & White player.
With Dembélé’s arrival, we add a young yet experienced footballer who’s strong both physically and as a finisher. His height also makes him a threat in the air and his speed allows him to run past the opposition’s defenders.
Forster will be Saints 'number one B'
Ralph Hasenhuttl has dubbed former Celtic favourite Fraser Forster his “number one B” as he looks set to stay with Southampton.
Forster was given his first minutes of the season in the win over Liverpool after Alex McCarthy dropped out of the side following a positive Covid test.
However, the England cap looks set to drop to the bench for the Premier League run-in.
However, Hasenhuttl seemingly has no intention of allowing the stopper to leave St Mary’s amid constant links with a third spell at Parkhead.
It shows how good the guys are working with the goalkeeper coach and how strong they have developed every part of their game so far.
I think this is a good signal for us that we immediately have a ‘number one B’ that steps in and plays a fantastic game.
A clean sheet against Liverpool in the first game, this is fantastic for us.
Dembele seals Atleti move
Former Celtic striker Moussa Dembele has completed his move to Atletico Madrid - with the Parkhead club eyeing a potential summer windfall.
The 24-year-old left the Premiership champions for Lyon in 2018 and has hit 45 goals in 105 games since.
Dembele has struggled to get into Rudi Garcia’s team this season though and his playing time was further limited by a broken arm.
His stock remains high, however, and Atleti quickly identified him as the ideal replacement for Diego Costa after terminating the veteran’s contract.
Diego Simeone confirmed on Tuesday that talks were progressing over an imminent deal, however, and Dembele has, according to Get France Football News, joined the La Liga leaders on an initial loan.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-transfer-news/moussa-dembele-seals-atletico-madrid-23312706READ MORE: Moussa Dembele seals Atletico Madrid transfer as Celtic eye potential summer windfall
Awoniyi linked with Old Firm move
Taiwo Awoniyi has been linked with a move to Glasgow from high-flying Union Berlin.
The 23-year-old has netted five times in the Bundesliga so far this season as he helps his side challenge for the Champions League spots.
The Liverpool loanee is said to be on the radar of several clubs, with 90min claiming that Rangers and Celtic are leading the pursuit of the strikers signature this summer.
DONE DEAL!
Timothy Fosu-Mensah has joined Bayer Leverkusen from Manchester United.
The Dutchman has signed a deal until 2024.
Dembele passes medical
Moussa Dembele is on the verge of sealing his move to Atletico Madrid.
The Celtic hero passed his medical and will sign on loan for the rest of the season before sealing a £32.5m move in the summer.
The striker - currently nursing a broken arm - could make his debut against long-term admirers Chelsea in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Forster's spot under threat
Fraser Forster's return to prominence for Southampton could be short-lived, as regular keeper Alex McCarthy is set to return ahead of schedule.
Forster had been linked with a January return to Celtic, having played second fiddle to McCarthy throughout an impressive campaign for the Saints.
When McCarthy was forced into isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, however, Forster was called in from the cold to face Liverpool, and impressed as the south coast side picked up a shock win.
It had looked as if he would retain the gloves against Leicester this weekend, but McCarthy has since tested negative, putting him in contention for a return to the fold.
A January move away for the Celtic hero still seems unlikely unless Southampton sign another keeper though, with Ralph Hasenhuttl keen to keep him as an experienced alternative.
Celtic and Rangers warned off Siriki Dembele
Peterborough director of football Barry Fry has warned the club have 'no interest' in losing Siriki Dembele in January.
Dembele, brother of Celtic youngster Karamoko, has been linked with a move to both Celtic and Rangers this month, while English Championship side Brentford are thought to be in the running.
A report in The Sun suggested the Bees had made their move, but Fry has come out swinging, and says he is not for sale this month.
He told the Peterborough Telegraph:
We heard a rumour Brentford were interested in Siriki weeks ago so we checked it out and they denied it.
Brentford have not made contact and we don’t expect them to.
Our line remains the same. We are not interested in losing our best players in January.
Barcelona 'rejected' Ronaldo
Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed the club snubbed the chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003.
A teenage Ronaldo joined Manchester United from Sporting CP and went on to become an all-time great at Real Madrid.
He was offered to Barca as well but they had already landed Ronaldinho and Mexican defender Rafael Marquez at the time.
And the former president, hoping to replace Jose Maria Bartomeu in March's election, says he has no regrets over deciding against the Portugal legend.
We were about to sign Ronaldinho and Rafa Marquez. Marquez's people proposed Cristiano Ronaldo to us. He was at Sporting at the time.
One of his agents said that they had a player who they had sold to [Manchester] United for €19 million, but they'd sell him to us for €17 million.
But we had already invested in Ronaldinho at the time. Cristiano played more out wide than in the centre. We thought we were covered, so we rejected him and I don't regret it.
Joseph won't leave on the cheap
Celtic and Rangers linked Kyle Joseph won’t leave Wigan this month on a cut-price deal, according to reports.
The 19-year-old striker is enjoying a breakout season at the troubled League One club, netting a hat-trick against Burton Albion two weeks ago.
The Latics are still in administration after a points deduction saw them tumble to the third tier from the Championship last term and a proposed takeover bid collapsed last week.
That’s left the futures of some of Wigan’s best players uncertain - including Joseph, who would be available for Scottish clubs on a pre-contract deal this summer.
Both sides of the Old Firm are reported to be keeping tabs on the striker, and The Athletic report that Tottenham and Sheffield United have tabled serious interest.
They add that a £1 million price tag has been put on the head of the attacker and they “are not desperate enough to sell someone whose goals could keep them in League One for significantly less than his value.”
Messi misses out for Barca
Concerns have once again been raised about Lionel Messi’s Barcelona future after he missed training ahead of their Supercopa clash with Athletic Club Bilbao.
Messi unexpectedly sat out the session, report Diario Sport, sparking concerns that a January move could be imminent.
His deal up in the summer the Argentinian star can negotiate with other clubs now, with Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain thought to be keen to sign him
Salah 'happy' at Liverpool
Mohamed Salah is “happy” at Liverpool insists his team-mate Fabinho who is not concerned with the speculation.
The forward recently opened the door to a move away but his Brazilian colleague is confident he’ll remain at Anfield.
Big players will always have their names involved in rumours,
Salah plays for Liverpool, one of the biggest teams in the world. So I think it’s normal to see his name linked to other teams, especially from different leagues.
Anyway, I see him very happy here and pleased with his performances this season.
McInnes' Wright vow
Determined Derek McInnes insists Aberdeen won’t cash in on Scott Wright for less than their valuation even if he does agree a pre-contract with Rangers.
The Dons boss commended the Ibrox side for how they stated their signing intentions but the 49-year-old admits his side won’t be forced into a corner over a transfer agreement this month.
Rangers are leading the race to sign the impending free agent who is able to talk to clubs after his big breakthrough season at Pittodrie.
But the 23-year-old is expected to feature against Livingston on Wednesday despite the fervent speculation surrounding his future.
In an ideal world, you’ll get a good offer for him from wherever, whether it’s Rangers or anyone else, and we move on and we get something in return for all our work with Scott.
He’s been with the club since he was eight and that would be the best-case scenario for everyone.
It’s the same with any of your players, particularly when you’ve got a player who is out of contract at the end of the season; it makes sense if we can try and get a good offer for him.
We’ll look at that, but at the same time he’s not a squad player, he’s a key player who’s been prominent in the team this season.
It has to be a good offer for us, it has to be an offer that suits us.
If we don’t get a good offer, then he remains part of the team to try and achieve what we want to achieve.
However, McInnes believes Rangers could face some competition for Wright’s signature as he believes a clutch of clubs are lying in wait.
He revealed last week that his gut feeling was the academy graduate would try his luck in English football before Steven Gerrard stated his intentions.
I think there may be clubs interested in a pre-contract in the summer.
But, as far as I know, Rangers are the only club that may be prepared to do something in January at the minute.
They are the only club that has come forward to us.
Bolingoli set for Celtic return
Boli Bolingoli could return to Celtic from his loan move in Turkey with the wing-back set to miss the rest of the season through injury.
The defender was sent out of Celtic Park on loan to Istanbul Basaksehir FK after a trip to Spain in the middle of the pandemic and failing to quarantine on his return led to two Hoops games being postponed.
Having been an ever-present for the mid-table in the Turkish Super League side, but a knee-injury that was picked up in the Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain means he will be out for the remainder of the campaign.
Basaksehir boss Okan Buruk provided an injury update on the Celtic outcast, explaining:
We have three players who are almost certainly out for the season - Boli Bolingoli, Martin Skrtel and Junior Caicara. The situation is we want replacements urgently for those players.
We will also look at other areas for transfers, but replacing those three players is the priority.
Celtic want to extend Harper
Celtic want to tie down debutant Cameron Harper on a new contract to ward off interest in the USA U20 international from the MLS.
The California-born forward made his first top team start for the Hoops in Monday’s 1-1 draw with Hibs.
But his current deal ends in the summer and interest in the teenager is growing back in his native America.
Harper, who turned 19 in November, moved to Glasgow three years ago after being plucked from the Pateadores Academy in California.
He rose to prominence earlier this season when he scored a double in a 3-0 Glasgow Cup win over Rangers. That earned him a place on the bench for the Europa League win over Lille last month.
A new deal is on the table for Harper at Parkhead. But the youngster is weighing up his options and prospects at Celtic Park before making a decision.
Inverness respond to Kai Kennedy homesick claim
Inverness boss John Robertson has claimed Rangers loanee Kai Kennedy could have stayed in the Highlands if it had not been for the pandemic.
The 18-year-old was a hit during his loan spell with Caley Thistle in the first half of the campaign, but after he returned to Rangers switched to rivals Raith.
The youngster admitted he felt homesick and will be able to stay at his family home when playing at Stark’s Park.
Kennedy could now face off against the Jags with Rovers this weekend, and Robertson believes the Covid crisis played a big role in his move to a Championship rival. He told the Press and Journal:
Had we known a bit earlier we possibly could have moved a player in with him, or moved Kai into a family environment as clubs do on occasions so there were more people around him.
He never made any reference to that (feeling homesick), and whenever we spoke to his parents they felt he was happy.
In fairness to Kai it’s a pandemic. Had it been normal circumstances I’m sure everything would have been much better. He had a great bond with our younger players, such as Daniel MacKay, Roddy MacGregor and Cameron Harper, along with Wallace Duffy, Robbie Deas and Scott Allardice.
They weren’t allowed to visit each other’s homes due to the rules. Had it been normal I’m sure they would have been around at each other’s houses, they would have gone to Costa, Nando’s and all the places young football players go.
Doughty transfer latest
Alfie Doughty is now in talks with three Championship clubs about a potential move away from Charlton, states Lee Bowyer.
Doughty had a pre-contract offer from Celtic and confirmed interest from Rangers, but had decided he would prefer to remain in England.
However reports claim. that following the 4-4 draw with Rochdale last night, Stoke-on-Trent Live report that Bowyer opened the door for an exit.
He confirmed offers from Stoke, Queens Park Rangers and Bournemouth had been accepted and he would now make the choice between the trio.
Alfie has spoken to all three clubs so it’s going to be his decision. I think that’s all I can say at the moment.
Dortmund target Sancho 'replacement'
Borussia Dortmund are reportedly eyeing Tanguy Coulibaly as a potential future signing if Jadon Sancho leaves the club.
Manchester United tried to land Sancho last summer but failed to meet Dortmund’s £108million asking price.
The Red Devils are expected to return for Sancho this forthcoming summer, with Dortmund now keen to make contingency plans in the event he departs.
France Football report that, Coulibaly, 19, is top of their wish list after impressing in the Bundesliga for Stuttgart.
No Diego for Wolves
Wolves will not make a move for Diego Costa in January.
The Wanderers were linked with the free agent but the former Atleti and Cheslea star is not on Nuno’s radar.
It comes after links with Olivier Giroud and Divock Origi were played down.
Barcelona want Aguero
Barcelona are believed to be plotting a summer move for Kun Aguero.
But any deal for the Manchester City great appears complicated by his close bond with Lionel Messi.
The pair are great friends and Aguero has previously revealed his desire to play with his international compatriot at club level.
So, if Messi leaves. would the 32-year-old want to try and fill the legend’s boots in Catalonia?
It appears a long shot.
Klopp finds his man?
Lens rising star Loic Bade has become the latest centre-back being tipped for a move to defensive needy Liverpool.
The 20-year-old joined the Ligue 1 club from second-tier Le Havre last summer and has been a mainstay in defence this season, making 16 appearances.
Bade is contracted at Lens’ Stade Bollaert-Delelis until 2023 but Le10sportreports Liverpool are “working behind the scenes” to table a bid for the Frenchman - who is also a target for AC Milan.
The report adds the Reds are “following his development carefully” as they continue to ponder bolstering their centre-back options amid their ongoing injury crisis.
McGurk 'wanted by Leeds and Celtic'
Leeds United are hot on the heels of Wigan Athletic prospect Sean McGurk.
The 17-year-old is wanted by a host of clubs and the Sun report Celtic are also fans of the attacking midfielder.
Celtic have signed a host of young talent from English football in recent seasons in Jeremie Frimpong, Luca Connell and Armstrong Oko Flex.
McGurk has caught the eye starring for the Latics’ U18 side.
Arsenal eye Akman
The Gunners are interested in a potential move for Bursaspor striker Ali Akman, report the Daily Mail.
The Turkey has bagged nine goals in only 16 appearances this season - with a goalscorer a major need for Mikel Arteta.
Akman has turned down a new deal at Bursaspor and with only six months remaining on his contract, the Turkish side will likely be willing to cash in this month.
The 18-year-old could be available for as little as £3million, but Arsenal are just one of a long queue of clubs keen to land the striker.
Lamps on life after Hazard
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has explained the club’s summer of heavy spending, insisting they have finally replaced the hole left by Eden Hazard.
For me we lost probably the best player in the league
We couldn’t do any business so the work we did was on the pitch last year.
Teams that are striving to be in and around top six and upwards were spending last year, they were spending again this summer.
They’ve had the opportunity with the players they bought last year to get them embedded into their teams and we’re dealing with teams above us, which is where we want to get to, where we are aspiring to get to, that have been building their squads for a long time.
We want to build our squad. We missed two windows and now we come back in and we’ve brought players in with a view to improve us
