Celtic

No sooner does the season finish and we start looking forward to key dates for the next campaign - and that will be a lot easier to do on Friday when the Scottish Premiership fixtures are released.

That's right, that special day in the calendar is almost here already. The day when you'll learn details of derby fixtures, Christmas opponents and the run-in to the split.

This page will bring you all the fixtures when they drop at 09:00 BST on Friday and we'll be giving you the chance to have your say on how things look.

The new campaign kicks off on the weekend of Saturday, 2 August and will conclude on Sunday, 17 May 2026.

Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland

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In the last week Celtic have been heavily linked with Nordsjaelland forward Benjamin Nygren, and reports this morning suggest the deal is all but done.

The Swede would be Brendan Rodgers' second signing this summer after Kieran Tierney returned to the club.

Supporters know what they're getting with the Scotland international, but Nygren is a little more left-field.

So, who is Nygren, and what are Celtic - potentially - getting?

Primarily a right winger, 23-year-old Nygren is a versatile forward who has 35 goals in 106 appearances for the Danish Superliga club.

His career kicked off in his homeland with IFK Goteborg where he made his debut as a fresh-faced 16-year-old, and after impressing, earned a big-money move to Belgian side Genk at 17.

He struggled for game time, though, and spent two seasons on loan with Dutch outfit Heerenveen before rejuvenating his career with Nordsjaelland.

Nygren netted six goals in his first full league campaign - where Nordsjaelland finished second behind Copenhagen - 12 in his second and 16 in his third. Not bad numbers for a wide man.

Such good form earned him a first international call-up, after appearing for Sweden's youth teams, and he scored his first goal for his country in a friendly against Northern Ireland in March and his second earlier this month against Hungary.

Despite his tag as a winger, he exhibited great striker's instinct for his maiden Sweden goal - a tap-in within the six-yard box - before bending in a beauty against the Hungarians.

Showreels can sometimes be a little misleading, but a look at Nygren's ought to have Celtic fans excited.

Celtic have agreed a fee of £1.7m to sign Nordsjaelland forward Benjamin Nygren, with the 23-year-old Sweden international having verbally agreed terms with the Scottish champions. (Anthony Joseph on X), external

Celtic remain in talks with Royal Antwerp about the sale of Michel-Ange Balikwisha and the 24-year-old winger is keen on a move to Glasgow. (Sacha Tavolieri on X), external

Celtic have rekindled their interest in 28-year-old Sevilla and Nigeria forward Kelechi Iheanacho, who opted to join Middlesbrough on loan in January instead of a switch to Brendan Rodgers' side. (Soccernet Nigeria), external

Celtic would want between £15-20m for 25-year-old winger Nicolas Kuhn, who is attracting interest from RB Leipzig. (Football Insider), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Celtic's Daizen Maeda is now the most valuable player in Scotland, according to Transfermarkt.

Japan forward Maeda's market value is 15m euro (£12.82m) after a 4m euro (£3.42m) boost in his worth in the football website's end-of-season update.

Maeda netted 33 goals last term - three times higher than his previous season's best at Celtic - and contributed 12 assists in 51 appearances across all competitions.

That superb form helped Celtic complete a title and League Cup double and earned Maeda the Premiership and PFA Scotland player of the year awards.

The 27-year-old now overtakes clubmate Cameron Carter-Vickers (14m euro, £12m) as the top-priced player in Scottish football, with Celtic players occupying the first five places and seven of the top 10.

Maeda has two years remaining on his contract, but Celtic are attempting to secure him on extended terms amid reported interest from the likes of Fenerbahce this summer.

And while his market value may now be just shy of £13m, Celtic would surely want considerably more than that if Maeda was to be prised away from the champions.

Celtic are set to step up their efforts to sign Scotland midfielder Andy Irving, with West Ham United prepared to sell the 25-year-old. (Football Insider), external

Evan Ferguson could be a realistic target for Celtic before the end of the summer window - but only if no other club take a gamble on a permanent transfer for the 20-year-old Brighton & Hove Albion striker. (Daily Record), external

Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn has caught the eye of Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers with his impressive performances in the Champions League, according to SportsBoom. (SportsBoom via The Scotsman), external

New Falkirk goalkeeper Scott Bain says he left Celtic a year before the end of his contract because the 33-year-old wanted his fiance and son to see him play first-team football. (STV), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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We asked for your views on how Celtic should address Nicolas Kuhn's future amid reports linking the winger with a big-money move away from Parkhead.

Here's what some of you said:

Mikey: I wouldn't be selling Kuhn for £15m. If the player wants to move on, let him go if he isn't happy at Celtic. But the fee needs to beat the last club record, £25m-plus. If we want to progress into the Champions League again, we need to be retaining our best players to get past the play-off.

Anon: We've had half a season from him over one-and-a-half seasons. He can be fairly predictable and quiet in bigger games, and it seems he doesn't want to be here. With a replacement lined up, cash in.

Robert: Recently it feels like his head is elsewhere. He can be such a good player, but to my mind he doesn't look very happy, maybe it's time for him to move on.

Tony: Would be happy to cash in on Kuhn. He's been too inconsistent and the money being talked about is above what he's worth, compared to the consistent output of someone like Matt O'Riley. Great first half of the season, disappeared after January rumours of a move and saw some flashes towards the end of the season, but the cup final performance epitomised the frustration with him.

Steven: He had a strong first half of the season and one man-of-the-match performance against Leipzig. The second half of the season he struggled to maintain his form. I would cash in, as around £10m profit on Kuhn will be a wise move and can be reinvested elsewhere. The next Daizen Maeda perhaps?

Peter: Alongside Reo Hatate he is our only creative player, plus he scores as many as our forwards. Would be a huge step backwards to sell him. Lots of others we could do without, but not Kuhn.

Matt: Celtic would be crazy to part ways with Kuhn. He's an electric player who has been a true workhorse. His best days are ahead of him.

Celtic would consider a move for Scotland captain and left-back Andy Robertson, who would be interested in joining his boyhood club, but only if he becomes available for free or at a nominal fee covering the remainder of his contract, as matching his current wages or paying a significant transfer fee is beyond the Scottish champions' reach. (TeamTalk), external

Discussions progressed well on Monday as Celtic aim to sign Albirex Niigata centre-back Hayato Inamura, with the 23-year-old keen to join the Premiership winners. (Sky Sports), external

RB Leipzig have the finances to sign Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn, 25, despite missing out on the Champions League. (Football Insider), external

Celtic remain relaxed and confident of keeping hold of Cameron Carter-Vickers, despite mounting speculation Leeds United owners San Francisco 49ers hope to lure the 27-year-old centre-half to the Premier League. (Record), external

Pogon Szczecin have opened talks to sign Celtic defender Maik Nawrocki, 23. (Herald - subscription required), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

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It would not be a summer transfer window without one of Celtic's key men being linked with a big-money move away from Parkhead.

RB Leipzig are the latest club to be linked with having an interest in winger Nicolas Kuhn, with a figure of £15m mooted.

Despite a dip in form in 2025, the 25-year-old still managed 21 goals and 15 assists across all competitions as Celtic secured a Scottish Premiership and League Cup double last term.

Signed from Rapid Vienna on a five-and-a-half-year deal in January 2024, Kuhn still has four years left to run on his current contract.

You assume that would mean Celtic will demand a significant fee for the German forward if he is to depart, but how would you address the situation?

With reports suggesting new winger Benjamin Nygren is on the way, should the club look to cash in on Kuhn? Or is he too good to let go this summer?

Send us your thoughts

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Celtic are working on a move for 23-year-old Japanese defender Hayato Inamura, who is currently playing for Albirex Niigata and primarily plays as a left-sided centre-back but can also provide cover at left full-back. (Herald - subscription required), external

RB Leipzig are weighing up a £15m bid for 25-year-old Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn, who was a youth player with the German club. (Sun), external

Celtic are well placed to agree a deal to sign Royal Antwerp winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha, with the Belgian club valuing the 24-year-old at £5m. (Football Insider), external

Talks have progressed well over the weekend as Celtic move closer to agreeing a deal of around £2m with Nordsjaelland for 23-year-old Sweden winger Benjamin Nygren, who has already agreed terms verbally with the Scottish champions. (Sky Sports), external

Read Monday's Scottish gossip

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Celtic midfielder Paulo Bernardo started and scored for Portugal last night in the European Under-21 Championship, as they beat Poland 5-0 in Slovakia.

The 23-year-old captained his country in the 0-0 draw with France on Wednesday and followed that up by scoring the fourth over now-eliminated Poland.

A cross from the left was poorly dealt with by the Poland keeper, punching the ball straight to the feet of Bernardo who showed good composure to take a touch and finish.

Thanks to the thumping win last night, Portugal now sit top of Group C with four points from two games. They face Georgia on Tuesday night.

If Portugal were to make it all the way to the final, Bernardo could have another four games to play before the tournament finishes on 28 June.

He is the vice-captain of the current squad, with 30 caps and 11 goals to his name. Although he is now 23, he is still eligible for the youth squad as he was under 21 when the qualifying campaign began.

The Portuguese made 28 appearances in the league for Celtic last season, but only 13 of those were starts.

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Copenhagen have joined Greek side PAOK in the race to sign Celtic defender Greg Taylor. (Scottish Sun), external

Read the rest of Sunday's Scottish gossip.

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Cast your mind back to the 1990s.

Rangers are dominating the Scottish game and Pat Bonner is the Celtic goalkeeper.

A fresh-faced 17-year-old Shay Given is on the Celtic bench "praying to God" the Ireland international didn't pull up injured and force his debut.

He was "a nervous wreck".

He needn't fear long, though, Bonner carried on and Given was never thrown in the deep end.

In fact, he never did make that Celtic debut. But he's done alright since.

The former Newcastle United great was back in Glasgow promoting next month's friendly between the two sides, and his trip back north brought back memories and that 'what if' feeling.

"Driving up the road there past Barrowfield, I remember we had to change here at the stadium, and I had to run down the road as an apprentice and train," he said at Celtic Park.

"The first team boys were driving past, blowing the horn and stuff. It's just all the memories come flooding back.

"I was on the bench once for an Old Firm game when I was 17, praying to God that Pat Bonner wasn't going to get injured because I was going to have to come off the bench at 17. I would have been a nervous wreck, if I'm being brutally honest.

"The club's changed so much since I was here at 16 until 18. Even the stadium, look around the stadium now, it's just phenomenal.

"I was here when the old jungle was there across from the dugout. The way the club has moved forward and moved on, it's a phenomenal club now. It's a totally different animal, as such, but it's great to see how the club has progressed.

"I always brings back a special feeling coming back here."

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Darren O'Dea says Brendan Rodgers played a pivotal role in his decision to leave Celtic to become assistant head coach at Swansea City.

Former Republic of Ireland international O'Dea held the role of player pathway manager with ex-Swans boss Rodgers' side but has now linked up with compatriot Alan Sheehan at the Swansea.com Stadium.

"This club is similar to Celtic in that it has a real identity, it is not just enough to come in here and just win, there needs to be more. There needs to be a product on the pitch that the fans relate to," said O'Dea.

"Speaking to Brendan, who has been brilliant in all this, he talked about the fanbase having a big understanding of their football.

"He could not have spoken more highly of the club and the city, and the DNA of the club.

"That is a real big driver in me wanting to come here, it's really important to me."

Following Luke Williams' exit in February, Swansea collected 24 points from 13 matches at a rate of 1.85 points per game under Sheehan last season, the joint-third highest points tally in the Championship over that period.

And O'Dea says he regularly watched Swansea last term as part of his role with Celtic.

"The guys here did a fantastic job over the final part of last season, I watched a number of games last season while I was at Celtic as it was part of my responsibilities to be monitoring and watching football across Europe," he added.

"I am well versed in what the team looks like, and the players, I am looking forward to getting to know them."

Sweden and Nordsjaelland forward Benjamin Nygren, 23, has chosen to join Celtic over Anderlecht. (Sky Sports), external

Celtic will pay £2m for Benjamin Nygren, who is out of contract at Danish club Nordsjaelland in six months time. (Scottish Sun), external

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.

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The SPFL confirmed attendances have risen for a third consecutive season and thanked fans for their "incredible support".

Crowds across all leagues, cups and play-off matches totalled more than 5.3 million, a rise of nearly 185,000 from the 2023-24 season.

"We will be having further meetings with key stakeholders over the summer to review the most recent season and look ahead to 2025-26," the SPFL statement ends.

"We remain committed to ensuring a safe and enjoyable matchday experience for players and supporters - they are the lifeblood of our game and deserve nothing less."

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Celtic B team coach Stephen McManus insists "role model" Kieran Tierney's return has "given everyone a real boost".

The 28-year-old officially rejoined Celtic this week on a free transfer, six years after leaving for Arsenal in a £25million deal.

Former captain McManus said: "It's massive because young players want to feel as if they've got somebody that they can look up to. They've got that but they need to see that and they need to feel that for themselves.

"You've got it with Callum (McGregor), you've got it with James (Forrest), so now with KT coming back it gives us an extra top player."

McManus also believes the learnings Tierney made at the Emirates will be of benefit "throughout the club".

"The fact that he's coming back with his full career ahead of him after the experiences he's had down in England at a top club like Arsenal, is going to be invaluable, not just for himself, for the younger players but for everybody throughout the football club.

"Kieran's coming back at the age that he's at, his full career's ahead of him. For the national team, for us as a club, it's tremendous.

"It's given everybody a real boost and for the younger lads it's another role model that we've got to look up to."

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Celtic have been granted permission by Nordsjaelland to speak to 23-year-old Sweden winger Benjamin Nygren. (Sky Sports), external

Asked about being linked with a move to Celtic after helping Ecuador qualify for the World Cup finals, 21-year-old winger Nilson Angulo said he is focused on improving his finishing and playing more matches for Anderlecht next season. (The Herald), external

Celtic-linked 23-year-old winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha has taken to Instagram, posting a photo of himself at Nice Airport in a hint that he could be leaving Royal Antwerp. (The National), external

Read the rest of Friday's Scottish gossip.

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Celtic B head coach Stephen McManus' insists the team are "in a great place" but admits it's "difficult" for youngsters to break into high-quality squad.

The Glasgow club have just welcomed back one of their most successful academy graduates in Kieran Tierney, who rejoins fellow success stories James Forrest and Callum McGregor.

In the season gone by, Brendan Rodgers handed first-team debuts to Francis Turley, Jude Bonnar and Sean McArdle and McManus is confident the next batch coming through can continue that trend.

"For us as a club, at B team level, it's great," the former defender said at a media conference previewing Celtic's pre-season friendly with Newcastle.

"For the job that we do, the most important thing is trying to get players into the first team. We know how difficult it is.

"Celtic supporters love nothing better than seeing one of their own coming through, and our job as the coaches at B team level is to try and produce young players that are capable of playing in the first team.

"We know how hard the job is because of how strong our first team squad is, but when you see guys like Kieran coming back when you've still got Callum and James, it helps.

"My personal belief is you need people that have been through the club, that have seen the full journey because it's a special club to be a part of.

"So, all we do is try and help the next batch that can hopefully come through."

Celtic are expected to rekindle interest in 18-year-old Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller and have also been keeping tabs on Hearts left-back James Penrice. (Daily Record), external

Celtic are interested in Sassuolo left-back Josh Doig, with the 23-year-old former Hibs player having made his Scotland debut against Liechtenstein on Monday. (talkSPORT), external

Sweden winger Benjamin Nygren is a possible target for Celtic as the 23-year-old enters the last six months of his contract at Nordsjaelland. (Scottish Sun), external

Read the rest of Thursday's Scottish gossip.

We asked you for your views on Kieran Tierney's return to Celtic on a five-year deal.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Ray: It's worth the risk as strength, experience and leadership are badly needed at the back with Celtic.

KT will not only play at left back, he will be left-sided central defender and push forward frequently as a wing-half, firing in good crosses.

Sounds great in theory but a fit, re-energised KT is a golden ticket.

Tony: To get a player of Tierney's quality at peak age, (28), for free is great business.

His injury record isn't great, but not all were strains/pulls so hopeful he can largely stay injury-free. And a great vice captain. We'll still need cover for left back, which would be great if Greg Taylor, but if not then maybe James Penrice from Hearts with Mitchel Frame set up as longer-term successor after a year or two out on loan.

Philip: An absolutely fantastic piece of business. KT's return is a massive boost for the Champions. He's joining the finest team in Scotland and will make them better. Welcome home.

Thomas: Look, he's a quality player, but does his injury record inspire any confidence? What's the point in having a player of that quality (and paying him accordingly) if you can't rely on him to be fit?

David: Top quality player, Celtic to the core, great he's back. But, I would not have paid a transfer fee purely because he is injury prone.

So, getting him for nothing makes for good business. Better business would be getting Greg Taylor back in the Hoops.

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Former Celtic captain Scott Brown spoke to BBC Scotland about his former team-mate and pal Kieran Tierney returning to Glasgow: "He's an absolute die-hard Celtic fan.

"He just absolutely buzzes off playing for Celtic.

"It was a hard decision for him to go, but I think it was the right decision. He waited until the end of the season, he left, and he knew he had a chance to go down to a huge, huge club.

"He went there, he played, and everyone loved him to start with. He went out on loan, played, and everyone loved him there.

"He was one of the quickest in the Premier League last year, over 10, 15 yards. He excites people, but it's a desire. Even in Scotland games, he breezes by players.

"When we were at Celtic and he came through, I thought, 'this guy's got something'.

"You can see his willingness, his desire to go through. He broke his leg in a tackle to try and I loved that. I was like, he wants to tackle because it's missing for the young ones. They don't want a tackle, they want to just put a foot in and just feel.

"The wee man has got absolute legs of steel and wants to go and fight.

"He wants to go and fight for the cause and I think that's what Celtic fans love about him."