Scottish Gossip: Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hibernian, Dundee United, Dundee, Kilmarnock

FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Rangers hope to sign 28-year-old French midfielder Toumani Diagouraga from Brentford on Friday in a transfer worth £500,000 after already having two offers rejected by Ibrox manager Mark Warburton's former club. (Daily Record)

Rangers are back in talks with Brentford over the transfer of Toumani Diagouraga after having an initial offer rejected by the English Championship club and the French midfielder is keen to rejoin his former manager, Mark Warburton. (The Sun)

Rangers have been told to increase their offer for Brentford midfielder Toumani Diagouraga after a £100,000 bid was dismissed by the English Championship club. (Daily Mail)

Matt Crooks and Josh Windass, the 21-year-old Accrington Stanley midfielders who agreed four-year contracts with Rangers on Wednesday, have been informed by the English League Two club that they must remain at the Wham Stadium until the end of the season. (The Herald)

Former Kilmarnock manager Kenny Shiels, whose son Dean plays for Rangers, says signing young players from England's lower leagues will not help the Ibrox club challenge Celtic for the Scottish title next season should they win promotion. (Daily Record)

Fans organisation Rangers First is planning to offer the Scottish Championship leaders a £500,000 interest-free loan - if the group's 13,000 members approve the scheme - but the club has said they do not need the money right now and dispute the group's suggestion that chairman Dave King has offered to match their money. (The National)

Rangers are reportedly in talks with Brentford about midfielder Toumani Diagouraga

Celtic manager Ronny Deila helped convince fellow Norwegian Niklas Gunnarsson to join Hibernian, the 24-year-old defender having moved on loan from Valerenga as the Edinburgh side challenge Rangers for the Scottish Championship title and promotion. (The Scotsman)

St Pat's Athletic attacker Darragh Markey will have a trial with Celtic this weekend, the 18-year-old Irish teenager having made a first-team breakthrough last season and been scouted by a number of clubs, including some from the English Premiership. (The Herald)

Celtic are monitoring 22-year-old midfielder Ljuban Crepulja, who plays for Slaven Belupo in the top flight in his homeland of Croatia. (Daily Record)

Celtic have opened talks with Tom Rogic about a new contract, with the 23-year-old Australia midfielder's current deal running out in 18 months. (The Sun)

Aberdeen could join the race to sign Falkirk midfielder Will Vaulks, who has been linked with Celtic, Rangers, Norwich City and Sporting Lisbon and was valued at £300,000 when Hibernian inquired about the 22-year-old in the summer. (The Sun, print edition)

Aberdeen and Hearts have been alerted to the availability of Sam Gallagher after Southampton manager Ronald Koeman said the 20-year-old striker would be sent out on loan again despite being recalled from MK Dons because of a lack of game time. (Daily Record, print edition)

Hearts have put contract talks with Blazej Augustyn, the 27-year-old defender whose contract runs out in the summer, on hold until Robbie Neilson's side secure a top-six finish in the Scottish Premiership. (Edinburgh Evening News)

Kilmarnock have targeted the signing of Northern Ireland right-back Lee Hodson on loan, the 24-year-old having been on the fringes with MK Dons this season. (The Sun)

Greg Kiltie will sign a new two-and-a-half year contract with Kilmarnock on Friday despite interest from Brentford, Hibernian and Reading for the 18-year-old midfielder whose current deal ends in the summer. (Daily Mail, print edition)

Dundee manager Paul Hartley believes that former Celtic defender Darren O'Dea should aim to rekindle his Republic of Ireland career after the 28-year-old returned to Scotland to join the Dens Park club. (The National)

New Dundee signing Darren O'Dea does not regret suggesting that Rangers should be stripped of titles won during his time with Celtic because of the Ibrox club's tax dealings. (The Scotsman)

Dundee defender James McPake has vowed to return to football despite the 31-year-old being ruled out for the rest of the season with a shattered knee-cap. (The Sun, print edition)

MK Dons defender Lee Hodson is being linked with a loan move to Kilmarnock

Jackie McNamara, now manager of York City, is considering legal action against Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson over the possible breach of a confidentiality clause they signed after the former was sacked as Tannadice boss. Thompson criticised McNamara's summer signings. (The Sun)

Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson is relaxed about the threat of a legal war with former manager Jackie McNamara, who has reportedly consulted lawyers after Thompson pinned the blame for United's freefall on his summer signings. (Daily Record)

Former Celtic, Dundee United and Rangers coach Malky Thomson is poised to take charge of his first game as a manager with Indian I-League club Salgaocar. (Daily Record, print edition)

Former Scotland midfielder Billy McKinlay is planning to make loan signings from Scottish Professional Football League clubs after taking control at Stabaek in Norway. (Daily Record, print edition)

Trials of video assistance for referees may take place in next season's Scottish Cup after football's law-making body, the International FA Board, strongly recommended at its annual meeting that experiments take place. (The Scotsman)

Scottish football fans have called for the Scottish FA and Scottish Professional Football League to be subjected to greater scrutiny in future after the the Scottish Football Supporters' Association carried out a survey of around 10,000 fans. (The Herald)

OTHER GOSSIP

Glasgow Warriors centre Peter Horne is set to miss the start of Scotland's Six Nations campaign after picking up a foot injury. (Daily Record)