Scottish Gossip: Moussa Dembele, Celtic, Scotland, Barry Ferguson, Oliver Burke

FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Celtic chief Dermot Desmond says the club are in no rush to cash in on in-demand hitman Moussa Dembele. Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Arsenal are all reportedly tracking the French striker. (Daily Record)

Desmond wants Dembele to remain at Celtic for years to come. (Daily Express)

Celtic's teenage sensation Karamoko Dembele could make his international bow for Scotland as early as this month in an under-16 tournament. (The Scotsman)

The SFA will fast-track Dembele into the Scotland set-up to avoid the risk of losing him to England or the Ivory Coast, who he is also eligible to represent. (Scottish Sun)

The Parkhead side rate 13-year-old Dembele so highly they have even allowed him to train with their first-team squad. (Daily Record)

Former Rangers and Scotland captain Barry Ferguson has admitted that his actions during the 'Boozegate' scandal that ended his international career were a "disgrace" and an "embarrassment". (The Herald)

Oliver Burke has revealed how he spurned England's advances before winning his first Scotland cap earlier this year. (Daily Mail)

Scotland assistant Mark McGhee is adamant Gordon Strachan is the best possible manager to lead the national side through the World Cup qualifying campaign. (The Times)

Moussa Dembele is reportedly attracting interest from some of Europe's top clubs

McGhee has warned that Group F rivals England will be better than they were at Euro 2016, despite the fallout from the departure of manager Sam Allardyce after just one game in charge. (The Herald)

The Motherwell boss feels the Euro 2016 contribution made by the likes of Wales and Iceland proves that expanding the World Cup could be a good idea. Fifa is considering increasing the format to include 48 teams instead of the current 32. (The Scotsman)

Celtic winger James Forrest has credited manager Brendan Rodgers for his improved performances this season. (Daily Mail)

Former Dundee United manager Jackie McNamara is on the verge of losing his job at York City after seeing his side thumped 6-1 by bottom side Guiseley in the Vanarama National League. (Daily Mail)

OTHER GOSSIP

Duncan Hodge says the departure of Edinburgh head coach Alan Solomons has been "hard for everyone" but believes he can help the side fulfil their potential after replacing the South African. (The Herald)

Hodge has been given no timescale for how long he will be in the Edinburgh job and admits the past week has been a "whirlwind". (The Scotsman)

Ricky Burns could be just 36 minutes away from another piece of Scottish boxing history. If he successfully defends his WBA light-welterweight belt against undefeated Belarusian Kiryl Relikh on Friday, he will face American Adrien Broner in Las Vegas and become the first Scot to earn £1m from a single fight. (The Times)

Burns says he would love to fight in Vegas as he's only ever been there to see country singer Garth Brooks in action. (Daily Mail)