Celtic

Southampton are ready to make a move for Celtic midfielder Matt O'Riley, but Celtic will demand a £30m transfer fee that would smash the previous record received for a player when Jota left for Al-Ittihad 12 months ago. (The Times), external

Celtic scouts are closely following 18-year-old Hacken midfielder Pontus Dahbo, who is valued by the Swedish club at £3.4m despite only 20 first-team appearances and is under contract until 2025. (Fotboll Direkt), external

Celtic midfielder Daniel Kelly has a number of other options on the table, including German champions Bayer Leverkusen, but the Scottish champions hope to convince the 18-year-old to commit his long-term future to the club beyond the end of his current deal in December. (Football Scotland), external

Republic of Ireland Under-21 winger Rocco Vata is now a free agent after his Celtic contract officially expired, but the Scottish champions still hope to tie the 19-year-old down on a new long-term deal despite facing stiff competition from clubs in Italy and England. (Football Scotland), external

Paulo Bernardo is among several B team players who will join Benfica's pre-season training when it starts on 3 July, although the 22-year-old midfielder has limited chances of becoming part of Roger Schmidt's first-team squad as talks continue about a return to Celtic after last season's loan. (Record), external

Etienne Vaessen's now completed transfer from Waalwijk to newly promoted Groningen was one of the worst-kept secrets in Dutch football despite reports of interest in the 28-year-old goalkeeper from Celtic. (HITC), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

We asked for your views on where Celtic will be 10 games into the new Premiership season after the fixtures were announced.

Here's what some of you had to say:

John: We'll be just where we usually are, on top of the league. I'd rather be making sure that recruitment is driven by the need to get the right players in situ and not by haste like our opponents south of the river but it's football and time will tell.

Dave: We'll have 26 out of 30 points after first 10 games - three points clear of both Aberdeen and Dundee United.

Shaun: I think Celtic have learned their lesson in transfer market and will bring in good players. I think we will be top and win the first Glasgow derby because there is no evidence to prove otherwise.

Dougie: Given the lack of signings and probable exit/no return of players we will do well to be top. Still hopeful that we will have three or four new signings, but have little trust in the board.

Steven: Hopefully some decent signings in summer to improve quality not quantity. A keeper, centre-back, winger and targetman striker. Time will tell.

Robert: If Brendan Rodgers gets the players in he really wants and a top-class goalkeeper then I can't see us not winning the league again. The other side of Glasgow has been busy for signings so I imagine another close battle. However, after the first 10 games we will be four or five points clear.

Neil: It totally depends on the strength or otherwise of the recruitment campaign. We have some players just not good enough in our defensive-set up who will never cut it in big games never mind the Champions League. We don't focus on defence enough. The key is who we buy, keep and sell.

Benny: Hopefully, with the addition of some new signings, we will beat Rangers in the first derby game, and we will be back at the top of the tree. The clock is ticking though regarding getting new faces in the door. We have to trust that in the background plans are taking shape and we get some real quality in.

Paul: Hopefully in the mix with Rangers and if we get in some quality players we should be well in front of the chasing pack.

Gordy: If we strengthen in the right areas I believe we can build up a lead after the first round of games. But we need to strengthen for Europe not just on the domestic front.

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Former Celtic coach Anton McElhone has left Queen's Park to join ex-Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst's staff at Besiktas.

McElhone was head of sports science at Celtic for two years until last summer and has also worked for clubs including Hibs, Tottenham and New England Revolution.

The 43-year-old joined Queen's Park in January as head of academy coach but has now departed for Besiktas.

Van Bronckhorst took charge of the Turkish Super Lig side on a two-year deal this summer, his first management role since being sacked by Rangers in November 2022.

A Queen's Park statement said: "Head of academy coaching Anton McElhone has left the club to join Turkish side Besiktas after both clubs reached a mutual agreement.

"The club wishes to place on record its thanks to Anton for his efforts during his short spell with the Spiders and wish him all the best for the future."

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Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers made his first appearance at this year's Copa America in a 2-1 defeat to Panama that led to online racist abuse of United States players.

Former Celtic winger Timothy Weah and his Juventus team-mate plus Monaco striker Folarin Balogun were all targeted online after the hosts lost the Group C match in Atlanta.

Weah, 24, was shown a straight red card in the 18th minute after punching Panama's Roderick Miller in the head in an off-the-ball incident.

Carter-Vickers came off the bench at half-time and Panama scored a late winner through Jose Fajardo before having Adalberto Carrasquilla sent off.

US Soccer said in a statement on X: "There is absolutely no place in the game for such hateful and discriminatory behaviour.

"These actions are not only unacceptable but also contrary to the values of respect and inclusivity that we uphold as an organisation."

The US are now level on points with Panama heading into their final group match against Uruguay on 2 July at 02:00 BST.

The US, who have a better goal difference, need to match Panama's result against Bolivia to progress to the last 16.

Assistant manager John Kennedy says Celtic are working to sign a goalkeeper as a transfer priority and admitted conversations are happening over deals for Norwich City striker Adam Idah and Benfica midfielder Paulo Bernardo, who were both on loan to the Scottish champions last season. (Sky Sports via The Herald), external

Former Celtic winger Jota would love a return to the Scottish champions from Al-Ittihad, but there has been no contact with the 25-year-old and wages make a move to England more realistic. (TV24 via Daily Record), external

Mathias Kvistgaarden, the 22-year-old Danish forward long linked with Celtic, has declared he is ready to leave Brondby this summer. (Campo via The National), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Celtic are doing a "lot of work" in trying to strengthen the squad and hope to announce new signings in the coming weeks, says assistant manager John Kennedy.

The Scottish champions have yet to add any new faces this summer but Kennedy insists they want to strengthen key positions - particularly goalkeeper - as soon as possible.

"The club have been working hard on that," he told Sky Sports, external.

"Some targets have been identified and they've been working on that in the background.

"It's a key position for us, we know it's a position we need to get in and we want to do that as soon as we can.

"Hopefully in the coming weeks we'll have some news on that. Ultimately we want to get the key positions in as quickly as we can so we can get to work with them as quickly as we can.

"There's a lot of conversations happening, a lot of plates spinning and a lot of work getting done. Hopefully we'll see all of that start to materialise in the coming weeks."

Now the fixtures are out, how are you feeling about your side's start to the season?

Where do you think Celtic will be after the first 10 games of the campaign? Will they win the first Old Firm derby of the season and be leading the pack?

Give us your thoughts. , external

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Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton says the club must keep Matt O'Riley if they want to make a mark on Europe and continue their domestic success next season.

The midfielder - who was subject of a rejected bid from Atletico Madrid in January - scored 19 goals and contributed 18 assists as Brendan Rodgers' side won the Premiership and Scottish Cup double last season.

Celtic are the only Premiership club yet to make a signing this summer, with a replacement for retired goalkeeper Joe Hart among the priorities.

"There's still a lot of work to do for Celtic over the summer," Sutton told Sky Sports.

"Joe Hart has gone, Adam Idah has gone back to Norwich and there's the Champions League as well. I think Brendan will feel he's got his feet under the table again and is in a better position than he was last year.

"He's got to get a goalkeeper. Joe Hart was brilliant for three seasons, they're big gloves to fill.

"Adam Idah performed really well so I'd be surprised if Celtic weren't trying to get a deal over the line with Norwich City.

"They need to hang on to Matt O'Riley. If Celtic want to do well domestically and have a go in Europe they have to keep the best players and O'Riley was Celtic's best player last season."

After hosting Kilmarnock on the opening day, Celtic will not have long to wait for the first Old Firm derby of the season.

Rangers travel to the east end of Glasgow on the weekend of Saturday, 31 August, with the new year's derby taking place at Ibrox on Thursday, 2 January.

The final meeting of the Glasgow rivals before the split will be held at Celtic Park on the weekend of 15-16 March.

November could prove a tricky month for the champions. They host newcomers Dundee United before returning to the site of last season's title clinching-game at Rugby Park.

Brendan Rodgers' side then travel to Tynecastle, where they were twice defeated by Hearts in league action last term, and end the month with a home fixture against Ross County.

Fixtures for the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership season have been released.

The campaign will kick off with Hearts hosting Rangers at Tynecastle, a repeat of the sides' final league game of last season which ended in a 3-3 draw.

Newly-promoted Dundee United entertain derby rivals Dundee, while Celtic begin their title defence with the visit of Kilmarnock.

Jimmy Thelin's first Premiership game as Aberdeen boss is a trip to Perth to face St Johnstone.

David Gray starts his reign as permanent Hibs head coach away to St Mirren, while Motherwell are to home to Ross County.

The opening round of fixtures will be played from 3-5 August.

Reports in Turkey and Scotland that Dominik Livakovic will be joining Celtic are completely false and there has been no dialogue between the 29-year-old Croatia goalkeeper, his agent, or current club Fenerbahce about a transfer. (Ižak Ante Sučić on X), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Celtic will kick off their defence of the Scottish Premiership title by hosting Derek McInnes' Kilmarnock on the opening weekend.

The match will take place on Sunday, 4 August at 16:30 BST.

You can find all of Celtic's fixtures here

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The 2024-25 SPFL schedule will be unveiled at 09:00 BST on Thursday, and we've got all the information you need before the return of domestic football.

The action in all four leagues kicks off on the weekend of 3 August.

Eight months later, the Premiership split happens on the weekend of 12 and 13 April and the top-flight season concludes on the weekend of 17 and 18 May.

And while it might be too painful to be thinking about the national team, there are international periods in September, October, November and March to bear in mind.

There will not, however, be a winter break this season.

The expansion of Uefa's club competitions - with the new league phase of the Champions League and Europa League running until the end of January - is the reason for that.

The SPFL said the format change "exerts additional pressure on the domestic calendar" and means no mid-season trips to the sunshine for Premiership clubs.

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Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston played the full 90 minutes as Canada beat Peru 1-0 in the Copa America.

A second-half strike from Lille forward Jonathan David proved to be the difference between the sides after Peru's Miguel Araujo was sent off.

Jesse Marsch's side play their final group game against Chile on Sunday (01:00 BST), knowing a win would take them into the knockout stages.

Celtic have had a £7.6m offer accepted for Fenerbahce's 29-year-old Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, with the Turkish club coming to an agreement in principle to pay Juventus £2.5m for Mattia Perin as his replacement. (Fotomac)

Celtic could pull out of the deal to sign Paulo Bernardo permanently from Benfica because the 22-year-old's £840,000-a-year salary is too high to match. (Correio da Manha via Daily Record)

Celtic and Rangers have joined Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United and Southampton in holding signing talks with 18-year-old striker Ajay Matthews, who is set to leave Middlesbrough this summer. (The Secret Scout)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

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Who had Roy Keane revealing he turned down Real Madrid for Celtic on their 2024 bingo card?

The former Manchester United captain ended his career in Glasgow in 2006, playing just 13 times in an injury-plagued six months.

Having supported the team as a child growing up in Ireland, Keane said the decision to join Celtic was an "emotional" one.

So much so, the legendary ex-midfielder turned down arguably the world's biggest club to make the move north - much to the shock of former team-mate Gary Neville on Stick to Football, external.

"When I left United I went up to Celtic, but I could've gone to Real Madrid for a year and a half," Keane said.

"It was a bit [emotional], which is fine, I don’t mind making those kind of decisions. But I was 34, I just thought, would I go [to Real] and have an impact?"

Fenerbahce have failed in a bid to tempt Juventus back-up goalkeeper Mattia Perin to the Turkish club as they look for a replacement for Dominik Livakovic, the Croatia international who is expected to leave this summer and has been linked with Celtic. (Fotospor via Daily Record), external

Liverpool have upped their asking price for Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to £35m amid interest from a number of clubs, including Celtic, as they look to keep the 25-year-old as back-up to Allison after Adrian rejected a new contract. (Daily Mail, print edition)

Former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland midfielder Roy Keane has revealing he snubbed a deal at Real Madrid to join Celtic. (The Herald), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Cameron Carter-Vickers was an unused substitute in the USA's 2-0 victory over Bolivia on Sunday night.

The Celtic defender was called up to Gregg Berhalter's squad for their Copa America campaign but remained on the bench for their opening game of the tournament.

Goals from Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun secured the win for the US.

Carter-Vickers has 17 caps for the national team but hasn't started a match for his country since November last year.

Celtic have tabled an informal £7.6m offer for Fenerbahce goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, the 29-year-old currently part of the Croatia squad at Euro 2024. (Football Insider), external

Atletico Madrid have added Paris Saint-Germain's Manuel Ugarte to a list of potential midfield targets that includes Celtic's Matt O'Riley, Feyenoord's Mats Wieffer, Real Betis' Guido Rodriguez and Tottenham Hotspur's Pierre-Emile-Hojbjerg. (Que Deportes), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Celtic full-back Alistair Johnston says Canada's "strength is in our diversity" as he hit back at a derogatory online comment.

A social media post from Keith Woods, an Irish-based 'writer, content creator and activist', posted phots of the Canada teams in 2000 and 2004 with the message: "So tragic. Few countries are undergoing population replacement as rapidly as Canada."

Johnston responded: "What if I told you that myself and the other two ‘white’ players pictured here are the sons of immigrants as well?

"This is Canada. Our strength is in our diversity and it is what makes our country so special - not tragic."

It comes after Canada Soccer - the national team's governing body - said one of their players - believed to be Moise Bombito - was subjected to online racist abuse after the defeat by Argentina in the Copa America opener.

Image source, X

Brondby have reportedly placed a price tag on forward Mathias Kvistgaarden amid interest from Celtic. (Record), external

Former Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard has changed agents with the striker thought not to be in Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner's plans and a return to Glasgow mooted. (Football Scotland), external

Tottenham and former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou says he is "on the Scotland bandwagon" when it comes to Euro 2024, following his two-year spell north of the border. (Record), external

Read Sunday's Scottish gossip

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Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi has dropped coy hints about his future after admitting he wants to make his presence felt next season “wherever I am”, and admitted he found last term "frustrating". (Daily Record), external

New Norwich manager Johannes Hoff Thorup says he wants to give ‘exciting’ Celtic transfer target Adam Idah – who spent the second half of last season at Parkhead on loan - a chance at Carrow Road. (Scottish Sun), external

Irish international Mark Travers could be priced out of a move to Celtic after Bournemouth placed a £10million price on the goalkeeper. (Irish Sun), external

Celtic winger Luis Palma insists he’s focused on impressing at Parkhead after denying reports he wants to leave the club after just one season. (The Herald), external

Watford and Palermo are in talks with 19-year-old out-of-contract Celtic winger Rocco Vata. (Sky Sports), external

Read the rest of today's Scottish football gossip here.