Scottish Gossip: Stokes told he has no Celtic future, Hibs sidestep Scott Allan question

FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Celtic have told Anthony Stokes that his career with the Scottish champions is effectively over, with the 27-year-old Republic of Ireland striker having been summoned to a meeting on Tuesday and told he does not figure in manager Ronny Deila's plans. (Daily Mail)

Everton are poised to table an official bid for £10m-rated Celtic central defender Virgil van Dijk after sending a representative to scout the 24-year-old Dutchman in the 1-0 Champions League qualifying victory over Qarabag on Wednesday. (The Sun, print edition)

Celtic manager Ronny Deila has hailed Craig Gordon as the best goalkeeper he has ever encountered, revealed that the 32-year-old's new contract with Celtic is a reward for joining them on initially low wages last year and described the Scotland international as a player of English Premier League quality. (The Scotsman)

Celtic manager Ronny Deila has promised to evoke the spirit of Celtic's progress to the 2003 Uefa Cup final, by exploiting their ability at dead-ball situations, by bombarding Qarabag with set-pieces in Baku in the second leg of their Champions League qualifier. (Daily Record)

Qarabag are trying to get the second leg of their Champions League qualifier against Celtic move to Azerbaijan's national stadium to allow almost 69,000 fans to back them. (Daily Record, print edition)

Anthony Stokes has reportedly been told he has no future with Celtic

Hibernian chief executive Leeann Dempster has refused to quash claims the club has reneged on a verbal agreement with midfielder Scott Allan to allow him to move on if a "bigger club" came in for him. (The Scotsman)

Hibernian manager Alan Stubbs had a transfer request rejected by Bolton Wanderers in 1995 but denies he is a hypocrite in refusing to sell Rangers target Scott Allan because the midfielder wants to join the Championship club's nearest rivals. (Daily Record)

Hibernian are on the verge of signing highly rated St Mirren midfielder John McGinn, but Easter Road manager Alan Stubbs insists the Scotland Under-21 captain is not a replacement for Rangers target Scott Allan. (The Herald)

Alan Stubbs left Scott Allan out of the starting line-up against Rangers last weekend and could do the same for Saturday's League Cup fixture with Montrose, but the Hibernian manager says he will not be softening his stance of refusing to sell their star man to Rangers. (The Scotsman)

Midfielder Greg Bolger admits he was disappointed that a bid from Motherwell was rejected by St Patrick's Athletic, but the 26-year-old says he will continue to give his best for League of Ireland side until his contract ends in December. (Goal.com)

Livingston have re-signed defender Declan Gallagher, saying the 24-year-old deserves a chance to earn a living while he is appealing against a three-year jail sentence for an assault that left another man with a fractured skull. (Daily Record)

Striker Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo said he was amazed to have discovered a "continental-style" coaching regime at Inverness Caledonian Thistle as the Brussels-born Congolese international agreed a one-year deal contract. (The Herald)

Hibs say signing John McGinn would not mean they would allow Scott Allan to join Rangers

Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald admits that his team-building is at least two players short of what he hoped for ahead of this weekend's Premiership kick-off. (Daily Record, print edition)

Dundee manager Paul Hartley is convinced his team can cope with the fans' increased demands as he targets silverware this season. (Daily Record)

New Hamilton signing Gramoz Kurtaj says that he is his own man after being tipped to fill the boots of Tony Andreu, who was Accies' top scorer from midfield until leaving for Norwich City in January. (The Herald)

Former Celtic striker Georgios Samaras is close to securing a contract with Serie A club Sampdoria after leaving West Bromwich Albion. (Football Italia)

Former Rangers defender Bilel Mohsni is poised to sign for French Lique 1 club Angers. (StarAfrica.com)

The Scottish Professional Football League has been inundated by complaints from lower-league clubs amid claims that all 10 in League Two and the bottom two in League One will be worse off this season as a result of corporate hospitality and advertising requirements in the ruling body's new £2m sponsorship agreement with Ladbrokes. (The Times, print edition)

OTHER GOSSIP

Owner Donald Trump claims he does not care if the Royal & Ancient drops Turnberry as an Open venue, despite the US presidential candidate having spent £200m upgrading the luxury South Ayrshire golf resort. (Daily Mail, print edition)

A Pro12 top-six finish is an "absolute minimum" for Edinburgh in the coming rugby season according to head coach Alan Solomons. (The Scotsman)