Celtic

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is keen on Liverpool midfielder Stefan Bajcetic, with the English champions open to letting the 20-year-old Spanish defensive midfielder leave in the summer transfer window and a loan-to-buy deal being the likely structure. (TeamTalk), external

Celtic are in talks to sign 19-year-old Manchester City centre-back Jahmai Simpson-Pusey on a season-long loan, but a number of clubs in England are also keen. (Sky Sports), external

Marco Tilio's departure from Celtic to Rapid Vienna on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy has been delayed because the Scottish champions will not let the 23-year-old forward leave until they secure a replacement. (Kurier), external

Go Ahead Eagles are standing firm on their valuation of Denmark Under-21 attacking midfielder Jakob Breum, with the Eredivisie club looking for at least £5m after Celtic had two bids for the 21-year-old rejected - the latest offer being £2.6m - but negotiations are ongoing. (Sky Sports), external

Twente submitted an offer for Jakob Breum that was higher than Celtic's initial bid of £1.5m for the winger and Go Ahead Eagles have since rejected the Scottish champions' latest £3m offer as they hold firm for £6.5m. (The National), external

Go Ahead Eagles chief executive Jan Willem van Dop says they will only sell one of Oliver Antman, the 23-year-old who is a target for Rangers, and fellow winger Jakob Breum, for whom they have rejected bids from Celtic, this summer. (De Oosttribune), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Image source, SNS

Chris Sutton feels his former side Celtic are starting the new season with a weaker squad than last term.

The ex-striker has also warned the Scottish champions they could be taking a Champions League risk if they do not strengthen soon.

Celtic have brought back Kieran Tierney and signed Sweden midfielder Benjamin Nygren and Japan attacker Shin Yamada, but fellow summer signings Hayato Inamura and Callum Osmand could take time to reach first-team level.

The Glasgow side sold Nicolas Kuhn - one of last season's star performers - to Como and will be without injured winger Jota for a long-term period. Left-backs Greg Taylor and Jeffrey Schlupp have also departed.

"If you look at the squad going into the season, it's still a little bit light," Sutton said prior to Celtic's league opener with St Mirren on Sunday.

"Brendan Rodgers, everything I've seen him hint and say, he feels the same. The fact Brendan talked about ambition, he is always quite calculated in what he says and the words that he uses.

"I think that's a little warning shot across the bows to say 'we need to bring players in'. It's fair to say the squad aren't as strong right now as they were at the end of last season, and that's not ideal. But there's still plenty of time left in the transfer window.

"If you look back at last season, Celtic won the league in the first half of the campaign. They won 16 of their first 18 games, set off like a house on fire and there was real momentum going into the season from pre-season. It doesn't quite feel like that at the moment.

"And they didn't have the burden of the Champions League qualifiers last season and we know how enormous they are for the club."

Celtic will have to win a play-off to avoid dropping into the Europa League and the first leg will be on August 19-20.

"Celtic have been in this position before where they are signing players when the Champions League qualifiers have already begun," Sutton added. "That's not ideal.

"You don't want them learning on the job when the Champions League has started and then missing out. We know how massive these games are. If you're slightly off it, then you can get beat.

"We will find out at the end of next month whether Celtic have done enough. It's okay for pundits to say 'the board need to do more', but at the end of next month if Celtic bring another few players in of quality which is going to lift the squad, all well and good.

"If not, then clearly people are going ask questions about why they are weaker now than they were at the end of last season."

Celtic and Strasbourg have submitted offers for Manchester City's 19-year-old English defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey. (Football Insider), external

Meanwhile, Celtic are keen on Josh Brownhill, who announced his Burnley departure on Monday, but Brendan Rodgers' side could face competition from West Ham United. (Record), external

Basel and Sturm Graz are two of the five potential opponents Celtic will face in the Champions League play-off round. (Sun), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

Image source, SNS

Former Celtic striker Cillian Sheridan says Brendan Rodgers "won't let up" in his pursuit of new signings.

So far this window Celtic have brought Kieran Tierney back to the club following the expiration of his Arsenal contract while goalkeeper Ross Doohan and forward Callum Osmand have also signed on free deals.

Hayato Inamura, Shin Yamada and Benjamin Nygren take the number of new signings up to six so far.

However, Rodgers' side already lost Kyogo Furuhashi in the January window and winger Nicolas Kuhn followed suit this summer, departing for Serie A side Como.

And Sheridan thinks Rodgers will still feel there's more work to be done to his team.

"I think last season probably proved Rodgers' case where if you do back him, he is showing an improvement in Europe," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Take away the Borussia Dortmund game, they were a lot more competitive in the European games. I think everyone could see there was a real improvement.

"I don't think Brendan Rogers is the type to just be happy with that. He'll want to make an improvement and keep building and keep improving.

"I think he's shown he's not afraid to have a of a slight pop at the board in terms of the players they're bringing or how much they're backing him. I don't think he'll back down on that either.

"He's got his own standards and his own expectations on what he wants to do with the club, especially in Europe. So I can't see him letting up in terms of his demand for getting the supply of players that he needs."

Go Ahead Eagles are waiting to discover whether Celtic return for Jakob Breum after turning down three approaches for the Danish wide man from the Scottish champions. (Herald - subscription required), external

Celtic have raised their offer for Breum to £3m after bids of £1.5m and £1.75m, which included add-ons, were rejected by Go Ahead Eagles for the 21-year winger. (Glasgow Times), external

Sarpsborg sporting director Hampus Andersson has revealed Celtic have yet to revive their interest in winger Sondre Orjasaeter this summer after a £4m offer was rejected in January, with the Norwegian club demanding £7m for the 21-year-old. (Record), external

New Celtic forward Shin Yamada, 25, believes he has superior speed and strength to former club favourite Kyogo Furuhashi. (Sun), external

Read Monday's Scottish gossip

Image source, SNS

Scott Brown is expecting 19-year-old Celtic midfielders Jude Bonnar and Kyle Ure "to add quality" to his Ayr United side on loan this season.

Bonnar made his third appearance as the former Celtic midfielder's side lost 2-1 in their final Premier Sports Cup group game away to St Mirren on Sunday.

And Brown credited the half-time substitute with helping turn the game in the Championship side's favour after going into the break two goals down to their top-flight hosts.

"The change of shape and personnel helped and I thought Jude coming into the middle of the park was exceptional and that helped us keep the ball - also a bit of urgency and aggresseness as well," he told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.

"Coming from Celtic to come in and play for us like that, it looks like he's been part of this team for some time."

Bonnar scored in his debut as a substitute in Ayr's opening 4-0 win over Arbroath and started their 3-0 defeat of Forfar Athletic, while Ure played the closing minutes in Paisley.

"Obviously, if you are good enough, you get game time and Jude so far has shown he's not out of his depth and he can probably push on again," Brown added.

"Kyle we've not seen too much of just yet, but he was only just in training the other day and gets his minutes on the park today.

"The two of them are fantastic footballers and it's another two lefties in the team and they have a good understanding of the game and they want to better themselves.

"Hopefully they can get game time and, at the same time, add quality on the pitch."

Image source, SNS

Celtic will host Falkirk in the second round of the League Cup.

Brendan Rodgers' side welcomed the Bairns in last season's quarter finals, ultimately winning 5-2 in a game John McGlynn's side went ahead in twice.

Ties are due to be played on the weekend of 16th/17th August.

Image source, Getty Images

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers reiterated the need for transfer activity as his side prepare to begin their Premiership title defence against St Mirren on Sunday.

Rodgers' side finished their pre-season fixtures with a penalty shootout win over Al Ahli following a 1-1 draw.

While the Northern Irishman believes his current group of players are "in a really good place", he would like to add new faces for the challenges ahead.

"Well, I think the squad that we have currently is in a really good place," Rodgers said after the Al Ahli match.

"The guys that are here have worked very, very hard but we need to improve this squad in general so I'm hopeful that we can do that over the coming weeks.

"But the guys that have been with us from the first day and the guys coming in, they've worked so hard, put so much into it. And now we go back, we'll have a really good week when we get home, and then we'll look forward to the first day of the season next Sunday."

Celtic's most recent signing - Japan forward Shin Yamada - scored the winning penalty against Al Ahli after penning a four-year deal last week.

"He has been settling in," Rodgers said. "It's never easy, when you think where he's come from on the other side of the world, and then he's in straightaway, adapting to a new intensity, which is always tough. And then you're travelling.

"But he's worked very hard in training. It was nice for him to get that little moment at the end and this obviously rounds off our pre-season in terms of fixtures.

"It was a good exercise for us. Obviously, pre-season is about fitness, but it's also about togetherness and spirit and I think the players showed that in the second half. It's a nice way to finish."

Celtic could be in line for a sell-on fee with their former right-back, Josip Juranovic, being lined up for a big-money move to English football from Union Berlin. (The Herald On Sunday), external

Read the rest of Sunday's Scottish gossip.

Image source, SNS

Celtic finished their pre-season preparations with a 5-3 win on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Asian Champions League winners Al-Ahli in the Como Cup third/fourth play-off.

The Scottish champions had been humbled 5-1 in their semi-final by Ajax, while the side who finished fifth in Saudi Arabia's Pro League lost 3-1 to the pre-season tournament's Italian hosts.

Having put Celtic's second-half collapse against the Dutch down to fatigue of pre-season training, manager Brendan Rodgers named a completely fresh starting XI.

Al-Ahli took the lead after 23 minutes through former Porto and Braga winger Galeno's acrobatic hitch-kick from 12 yards.

Celtic levelled when Luke McCowan's corner to the back post was volleyed back into the six-yard box by James Forrest and centre-half Auston Trusty prodded home.

New striker signing Shin Yamada thought he had scored the winner after making his first Celtic appearance as a substitute but was ruled offside.

McCowan came close to a winner three minutes from time, but his strike came off a post and the match went into a shoot-out in which the Glasgow side prevailed, with Yamada scoring the deciding spot kick.

Image source, SNS

Kwon Hyeok-kyu has joined Ligue 1 Nantes on a permanent deal as he departs Celtic without having made a first-team appearance in his two-year spell.

The South Korean midfielder, 24, joined Celtic from Busan IPark in his homeland and spent time on loan with fellow Premiership sides St Mirren and Hibernian.

The 24-year-old has signed a three-year deal with Nantes.

Image source, SNS

On 25 July 1997 Celtic signed striker Henrik Larsson from Dutch side Feyenoord with little knowledge of just how monumental an impact the Swede would have.

Larsson followed manager Wim Jansen to Glasgow as Celtic were preparing try to stop Rangers from winning a 10th successive title.

And the Sweden striker helped his side do just that. Despite not getting off to the best start - including scoring an own goal in his first European outing - Larsson went on to score 19 goals in his debut season in Glasgow and inspire Celtic to their first league title in a decade.

Larsson would go on to make over 300 appearances in the hoops, scoring 242 goals - including 15 against Rangers. He was a driving force in Celtic's run to the Uefa Cup final in 2003, two years after helping them to a domestic treble, and won four league titles, two League Cups and two Scottish Cups before joining Barcelona.

When that departure finally came in 2004, it was clear Larsson had cemented himself as a Celtic legend.

Image source, SNS

Celtic defender Adam Montgomery has joined fellow Premiership side Livingston on a season-long loan.

The 23-year-old moves to the newly-promoted Lions having spent last term with Championship outfit Queen's Park, playing 14 games and scoring once.

Montgomery has made 20 appearances for Celtic but hasn't featured since December 2021, with a raft subsequent loan spells including Aberdeen and St Johnstone.

Image source, SNS

We asked for your views on the 5-1 Como Cup defeat against Ajax in Celtic's penultimate pre-season friendly.

Here's what some of you said:

Liam: The same fans that got overly excited about us beating Newcastle will now be unhappy about this defeat. They're friendly matches and it's about fitness, but also these games told us very little that we don't know. Adam Idah is a disappointment and unless we do something about it we'll fall short in several games this season. At the back we know the issues.

Anthony: Often too much emphasis is put on pre-season results. It's clear the first team is working well and playing some good football but we lack serious depth and there are still questions to be asked up top and at centre-back. These next two weeks to start the league and transfer market will be huge in determining our season.

Lewis: The quicker Celtic get back to playing domestic football the better as they have shown cheap buys just can't do it. Let's not be fooled, this is Scottish football and it's bleak.

Ted: Hopefully they learn the lesson about keeping the ball and stop playing the ball in your own box.

Kevin: No concerns on the domestic front. The European stage is a different story. We need a reliable striker and we simply don't have one any more, the board's tight-fisted approach will, as usual, come back to bite them. No ambition spells failure!

Joe: This squad overall is fragile and I'm really concerned now about the lack of quality signings where we need to strengthen. 'Project' signings are not what we need right now, for the domestic challenge or Champions League qualification. Remember, we're not there yet.

Celtic need to show ambition in the transfer market, believes manager Brendan Rodgers. (Sun), external

Red tape denied forward Shin Yamada, 25, the possibility of a Celtic debut in Thursday's friendly defeat by Ajax in Italy. (Record), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

Image source, Getty Images

Celtic can still take "lots of positives" out of their friendly with Ajax despite losing 5-1, says Brendan Rodgers, although the manager stressed it is "also a reminder of the work we still have to do".

The match in Italy was the semi-final of the Como Cup and Celtic will now face Asian Champions League winners Al-Ahli in a third-fourth play-off on Saturday.

"I don't think it was a 5-1 game," Rodgers told Celtic TV. "For the first 60 minutes of the game, we were very good and the third goal we gave away.

"But we had lots of really good moments - scored one but should have had more.

"The goal we scored was very, very good - then, I felt, in the last 30 minutes of the game, we gave the ball away far too easily and we lost out in too many duels."

Rodgers suggested that fatigue from pre-season training had played its part as the Dutch side rattled in three goals in the final 30 minutes.

"So we can see the players are working very hard and they're getting leggy in some of the games because we are pushing them in training," he said.

"Sometimes you get that and then the two goals right at the end are disappointing because they're shots from outside the box that we should do better with.

"But, overall, lots of positives from it but also a reminder of the work we still have to do."

Al-Ahli, instead of hosts Como, will now be Celtic's final pre-season opponents before they begin their defence of the Scottish title.

"They have quality players - players who are individually very good," Rodgers said of the Saudi Arabian side. "They spent a lot of money on top players, so that will be a very good game.

"That's why we came out. No matter how it turned out, we were going to get two really good games."

Celtic fans, are you concerned by the result with the Scottish Premiership kick-off just over a week away? Tell us your views.

Image source, Getty Images

Celtic suffered a humbling 5-1 defeat by Ajax in their Como Cup semi-final in Italy.

Brendan Rodgers' side were looking to build on wins over Sporting Lisbon and Newcastle United but now will face Asian Champions League winners Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia on Saturday in their final pre-season game rather than the tournament hosts.

Netherlands winger Steven Berghuis' superb curled finish put the Dutch side ahead after 17 minutes at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.

Yang Hyun-Jun, who had hit the crossbar in the opening minutes, equalised four minutes later when the South Korean winger latched on to Reo Hatate's through ball after Kieran Tierney's long pass had opened up the Ajax defence.

Adam Idah was also denied by the woodwork near the end of a first half in which Celtic dominated possession.

However, the flow of the game changed after the break and Netherlands midfielder Davy Klaassen restored the lead just short of the hour mark, volleying home after goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel parried a shot off the line.

Ajax pounced on a slack Benjamin Nygren pass inside Celtic's penalty box and Berghuis found the top corner for his second after 66 minutes.

Aaron Bouwman increased the lead when the 17-year-old defender swept a stunning 25-yard drive into the top corner past Schmeichel with 20 minutes remaining before 19-year-old midfielder Rayane Bounida curled another beauty inside the far post.

The defeat means there will be no swift reunion with winger Nicolas Kuhn, who watched from the stand following his recent move to Como, who now face Ajax in the final.

Image source, SNS

Brendan Rodgers is "very confident" Celtic will strengthen and fill "gaps" before the transfer window closes.

The Celtic manager is aware the club "still have work to do" after bringing in seven new players this summer, including Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren.

Previewing Celtic's opening Como Cup game against Ajax tonight, Rodgers admitted he was pleased with the business done so far this window but the club "can't stand still".

"I think we still have some work to do," Rodgers said.

"I think the players that we have in the building have been very, very good in pre-season so far, but like I say, we have still work to do in the market.

"I think it's very clear where our gaps are - in our front line, where we need support and I'm very confident that we'll be able to do that before the market finishes."

Despite storming to the Scottish Premiership title and picking up the League Cup earlier in the campaign, Celtic missed out on the treble as Aberdeen lifted the Scottish Cup after a penalty shootout and "only" won two trophies, which to Rodgers, doesn't prove "domination".

"As a football club, we aim to improve every single season," he added.

"We didn't dominate last year, we only won two out of three trophies.

"But also being in Europe and making sure we are competitive and challenging at that level is very important for us, consistently, not just for one season.

"We believe we can be even better this season on the domestic front and we can take the experiences we've had over these last couple of seasons into Europe where we aim to again look to perform very, very well.

"Celtic is a huge club. You can never stand still. It's always moving at a really, really fast speed."

Go Ahead Eagles sporting director Jan Willem van Dop says Jakob Breum will not be sold for less than £5.2m after it was reported that Celtic had a £1.5m offer rejected for the 21-year-old winger. (Record), external

Brendan Rodgers insists he is fully responsible for every single signing Celtic make as the manager shot down suggestions players have been targeted without his say-so. (Sun), external

Celtic are trying to sign a striker and a winger. (Football Insider), external

Kwon Hyeok-kyu, who spent last season on loan to Hibernian, is undergoing a medical before a proposed permanent transfer to Nantes from Celtic, with the 24-year-old South Korean midfielder committing to a three-year contract. (Ouest-France), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

Image source, SNS

Nearly 10 years on from that disappointing November night in the Europa League, Celtic meet Ajax again.

Brendan Rodgers' side will face the Dutch giants in their first game of the pre-season tournament, the Como Cup, in Italy on Thursday.

The result this time round has much less significance than it did back in 2015.

Then managed by Ronny Deila, Celtic needed a victory in Glasgow to keep their hopes of reaching the last 32 of the Europa League alive.

A fresh-faced Callum McGregor gave the hosts the ideal start, firing them ahead after three minutes, but Arkadiusz Milik acrobatically equalised before half-time.

Backed by a rowdy support, Deila's side pushed for a winner, but Vaclav Cerny - who spent last season on loan at Rangers - netted late on to send Celtic tumbling out of Europe.

Meetings with Ajax are typically fiery, and this one was no different.

In the reverse tie, Celtic were 2-1 up in Amsterdam but had to settle for a draw after conceding late on, with Emilio Izaguirre sent off.

Image source, SNS

The two heavyweights met two years before, too, in the Champions League and though Ajax triumphed 1-0 on home soil, Celtic held on for an impressive and deserved 2-1 victory in Glasgow, despite Nir Bitton's red card, with Beram Kayal scoring what proved to be the winner.

Four meetings in two years came after 12 years of wait. The pair faced off in the third round of Champions League qualifying in 2001 and Celtic prevailed thanks to an outstanding 3-1 first-leg win in Amsterdam courtesy of goals from Bobby Petta, Didier Agathe and Chris Sutton.

Ajax manager Co Adriaanse admitted his side were "outclassed" on their own patch and although the Dutch won 1-0 at Parkhead, Celtic advanced to the group stages for the first time.

Go Ahead Eagles have rejected a £1.5m offer from Celtic for Danish winger Jakob Breum, with the 21-year-old valued by the Dutch club at £5m. (The Herald), external

Celtic are set to up the ante to try to finally seal the transfer of Royal Antwerp winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha despite the clubs being unable to agree a fee after talks over multiple weeks and the 24-year-old's agent saying there had been no discussions with the Scottish champions. (Daily Record), external

Rennes have been revealed as the French club who have stolen a march on Celtic in the chase for Cluj striker Louis Munteanu, with French media claiming a fee of just under £10.5m has been agreed for the 23-year-old. (Foot Sur 7 via Daily Record), external

Cluj head coach Dan Petrescu has revealed he will hold talks with Louis Munteanu to see if the striker is ready to play in Europa League qualifying on Thursday amid interest from Celtic and clubs in France. (The National), external

Livingston are poised beat English and Scottish interest to the signature of 23-year-old Celtic left-back Adam Montgomery on loan. (Daily Record), external

Celtic are accelerating moves to bring in a central midfielder and a centre-back this summer. (Football Insider), external

In addition to reported interest in Celtic midfielder Kyle Ure, 19, Partick Thistle want to sign 20-year-old goalkeeper Josh Clarke on loan from the Scottish champions. (Glasgow Times), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Image source, Getty Images