Celtic Confirm Medical, Rangers Bid Rejected, Major Scott McTominay Enquiry Made: Scottish Transfer News Round-Up

The World Cup has paused for breath ahead of the quarter-finals, and with the international game briefly stepping out of the spotlight, attention north of the border has swung firmly back to domestic business. With pre-season friendlies now underway and the new Scottish Premiership campaign edging closer by the day, Wednesday brought a genuinely busy morning of transfer activity, spanning Ibrox, Parkhead, and the international scene involving one of Scottish football’s biggest current exports.

Rangers had a bid knocked back by a stubborn Norwegian club still holding out for a much bigger fee. Celtic, after weeks of relative quiet in the market, finally appear to be closing in on their first summer arrival, with manager Martin O’Neill confirming that a deal is edging over the line. And in Italy, one of Scottish football’s most recognisable current stars finds himself at the centre of a genuine transfer saga, with a Real Madrid manager known for chasing former protégés reportedly making direct contact over a possible reunion. Below, we break down every strand of Wednesday’s bulletin in detail — the confirmed stories, the context behind them, and where each situation appears to be heading.

Rangers Left to Rue Rejected Approach for Jens Hjerto-Dahl

Rangers’ long-running pursuit of Tromso’s Jens Hjerto-Dahl has taken another twist, with the Ibrox club’s opening offer for the highly-rated Norwegian international turned down flat. According to reports out of Norway, <cite index=”3-1″>Rangers tested Tromso with an offer worth around 70million Norwegian Kroner, translating to roughly £5.3million at current exchange rates, only for the Eliteserien outfit to give the proposal a firm rejection.</cite> The messaging from Tromso’s hierarchy has been unambiguous: their prized academy graduate is not for sale at a discount, and <cite index=”3-1″>the club believes it holds all the leverage in the negotiation given how highly Hjerto-Dahl is now rated across the continent.</cite>

This is far from a new story. Rangers have circled Hjerto-Dahl for the best part of a year, with serious interest first surfacing during the January window. Back then, <cite index=”6-1″>Rangers had identified the Tromso midfielder as a top target for the mid-season window, with then-manager Danny Rohl said to be extremely keen on bringing the 20-year-old to Ibrox.</cite> That deal never materialised, in part because <cite index=”5-1″>the club’s move for Tochi Chukwuani in the winter market effectively removed any realistic prospect of also landing Hjerto-Dahl during that same window.</cite>

The picture has shifted considerably since. Derek McInnes has since replaced Rohl in the Ibrox dugout, but reports suggest the managerial change hasn’t altered the club’s list of priority targets, and <cite index=”2-1″>Hjerto-Dahl remains very much part of the club’s summer thinking despite the appointment of a new head coach.</cite> What has changed is the player’s valuation. Whereas Tromso were said to be quoting figures in the region of £6million back in December, <cite index=”5-1″>recent reporting from Italian outlet Il Resto Del Carlino suggested Tromso are now demanding somewhere in the region of £9million to £10million, with Bologna and Celtic also credited with interest.</cite> Other outlets have floated an even loftier release-clause-style valuation, though nothing in that region has yet been formally tabled by any interested party.

Part of the reason for Tromso’s reluctance to sanction any cut-price departure is the form Hjerto-Dahl has shown domestically this season. He has continued to be one of the most productive young midfielders in Scandinavian football, and <cite index=”4-1″>he has racked up 12 goals in 96 appearances for Tromso to date, a return that helped him narrowly miss out on a place in Norway’s World Cup squad this summer.</cite> Elsewhere it’s been noted that in the opening rounds of this Eliteserien season alone <cite index=”4-1″>he had already scored five goals and provided two assists in just 12 games, output that has continued to attract admirers from across European football.</cite>

Contractually, Rangers also face an uphill task. <cite index=”4-1″>Hjerto-Dahl signed a new deal with Tromso back in February that runs through to December 2029, giving the Norwegian side little financial pressure to cash in this summer.</cite> The player himself has previously spoken candidly about the mental toll of being constantly linked with a move, recalling how draining he found the speculation during the January window when interest from Turkey was also swirling. He explained at the time that he turned down a switch abroad, reasoning that Norwegian football was closing the gap on some of the leagues being dangled in front of him, and stressed that he never felt pressured by his club or representatives during that process.

For Rangers, the calculus now becomes considerably more complicated. Hjerto-Dahl has long been eyed as a like-for-like successor in style, if not exact position, to Nicolas Raskin, whose situation continues to generate headlines of its own as the World Cup plays out. If Rangers are serious about winning the race, the early signs suggest they will need to substantially improve on their opening offer — and even then, competition from elsewhere in Europe means there is no guarantee of success.

Rangers Continue to Push for Partizan Captain Vanja Dragojevic

While the Hjerto-Dahl pursuit stalls, Rangers’ other major midfield target appears to be edging in a far more positive direction. Talks over a move for Partizan Belgrade’s 20-year-old captain, Vanja Dragojevic, remain live, with the two clubs reported to be closing the gap on a fee after some back-and-forth negotiation over recent days.

Rangers’ interest was first confirmed when the club <cite index=”7-1″>submitted what was described as a ‘concrete’ offer to Partizan for the defensive midfielder, as Derek McInnes continues his rebuild of the Ibrox squad ahead of the new campaign.</cite> Dragojevic has developed rapidly since making his senior bow. <cite index=”7-1″>He spent time on loan with Partizan’s affiliate side Teleoptik during the 2024/25 season before being recalled to the first team, going on to make his professional debut for the senior side in March 2025.</cite> His rise since then has been striking — <cite index=”8-1″>by the 2025/26 campaign he was already wearing the captain’s armband, registering three goals and three assists across 31 SuperLiga appearances.</cite>

The financial side of the negotiation has been the sticking point. Early reporting suggested <cite index=”8-1″>Rangers had opened talks in the region of £3.8million to £4million, while Partizan were said to be holding out for a figure closer to £4.5million to £4.7million once sell-on provisions were factored in.</cite> That gap appeared to be narrowing throughout the week, with the most recent update suggesting <cite index=”13-1″>Partizan would be prepared to accept an offer in the region of £5million having already rejected Rangers’ opening £3.9million bid.</cite> Sources close to the negotiations indicated that if Rangers can meet that valuation with an improved offer, a deal is considered highly likely to be struck.

There is context behind Partizan’s reluctance to let their captain go cheaply. The Serbian club moved to tie Dragojevic down on fresh terms only last year, and <cite index=”12-1″>he signed a contract extension in May 2025 that runs through to June 2030, complete with a €15million release clause designed specifically to protect the club from exactly this kind of Premier League or top-flight European interest.</cite> His current market valuation according to Transfermarkt sits considerably higher than Rangers’ opening proposal, which explains Partizan’s insistence on pushing the fee upward. Interest from elsewhere has also been cited as a bargaining tool, with <cite index=”8-1″>both Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund said to have been credited with tracking his progress, even if neither has moved to make a formal approach.</cite>

Behind the scenes, there are signs Partizan are already resigned to a departure. According to reporting out of Belgrade, <cite index=”9-1″>the club has placed Dragojevic on what’s been described as an emergency ‘special training regime’ to protect him from injury while the deal is finalised, a move interpreted by many as evidence the Serbian side expect the transfer to go through imminently.</cite> The player’s representatives, while careful not to get ahead of themselves publicly, have struck a similarly cautious but encouraging tone. Speaking to Rangers-focused media, his agent stressed only that an update would be provided once and if a deal draws close, while declining to confirm anything was imminent at the time of asking.

Serbian journalists close to the story have been more bullish about the timeline. One reporter who first broke news of Rangers’ interest suggested the transfer could be finalised within days, indicating that only one club — Rangers — is genuinely in the frame, with roughly an extra £1million on the table potentially enough to get an agreement over the line before the end of the week or the start of next. Partizan have also been dropping hints of their own; the player was notably left out of the club’s most recent pre-season friendly squad, a decision widely read as an attempt to shield him from any injury risk before a move to Scotland is completed. Were the deal to be finalised, it would represent the sixth summer signing of the McInnes era at Ibrox, following the arrivals of Lawrence Shankland, Ross McCrorie, Ben Godfrey, Dan Neil, and Ivor Pandur.

Livingston Face Fight to Keep Jerome Prior Amid EFL Interest

Away from the two Glasgow giants, Livingston are bracing themselves for interest in one of their standout performers from last season. Goalkeeper Jerome Prior, who impressed at Almondvale despite his side’s relegation battle, has emerged as a target for Queens Park Rangers boss Julien Stephan, with the West London club reportedly keen on bringing the French stopper south of the border. The 30-year-old is understood to be available for a modest fee, in keeping with the reality of Livingston’s position, and reports suggest QPR are not the only English side monitoring his situation, with several other clubs in the EFL also said to be keeping tabs on developments. For a Livingston side already facing a challenging summer of rebuilding after relegation, losing a goalkeeper of Prior’s calibre — even for a small fee — would represent a further blow to their hopes of an immediate return to the top flight.

Celtic Confirm Medical for Colombian Striker Camilo Duran

For Celtic supporters growing increasingly restless over their club’s lack of transfer activity this summer, Wednesday finally brought some tangible movement. Manager Martin O’Neill confirmed that Qarabag striker Camilo Duran is in the process of completing a medical at the club, with the formalities expected to be wrapped up within the next day or so. Speaking ahead of Celtic’s pre-season friendly draw with Shelbourne in Dublin, O’Neill told the club’s in-house media that Duran was already midway through his medical, adding that if it wasn’t finished on the night, it would be completed the following morning.

The move has been a long time coming, and reports out of Azerbaijan suggest the finer details have now been agreed. <cite index=”26-1″>Azerbaijani outlet SportInfo confirmed that Duran had left Qarabag’s pre-season training camp to travel to Scotland, with a three-year contract in place and the option of a further twelve-month extension.</cite> The exact size of the fee has varied depending on the source, but <cite index=”26-1″>Celtic’s total outlay, including potential add-ons, is expected to exceed €5million.</cite> Other reports have suggested the deal could rise as high as £6million with performance-related bonuses included.

There was a degree of urgency behind getting the deal completed this week specifically. <cite index=”23-1″>Had Duran featured for Qarabag in their Europa League qualifier, UEFA eligibility rules would have prevented him from playing for Celtic in this season’s Champions League qualifying rounds, so both parties were working against the clock to have everything finalised before that fixture kicked off.</cite>

Duran’s rise has been rapid by any standard. <cite index=”25-1″>He arrived in Azerbaijan on a relatively low-key deal from Portuguese side Portimonense and quickly transformed into one of the most feared strikers in the Qarabag side, using his pace and clinical finishing to torment defences domestically before announcing himself on the European stage.</cite> His performances in the Champions League proved decisive in Qarabag’s run to the knockout stages, with <cite index=”27-1″>the 24-year-old netting 15 times and providing 10 assists in 48 appearances in all competitions, five of those goals arriving in the Champions League itself.</cite> Advanced underlying numbers from his continental exploits have also caught the eye of recruitment staff, with <cite index=”27-1″>his Champions League data from last season showing an average of 0.60 goals and 0.41 expected goals per game, alongside 2.38 shots and a recorded top speed of 33.7 kilometres per hour.</cite>

Duran will become O’Neill’s first permanent signing of the summer, ending weeks of frustration among the Celtic support who had watched last season’s title rivals Hearts add ten new faces to their squad, while Rangers under McInnes had already brought in five. Should the move be finalised as expected, focus will quickly turn to whether more additions follow, with Celtic still expected to be busy in the coming weeks as they attempt to strengthen a squad many feel needs freshening up after last term.

In a separate development that will sting Celtic fans rather more, the club looks set to lose a promising academy prospect to one of England’s biggest clubs. Highly-rated Scotland youth international Dara Jikiemi, currently captain of the Scotland Under-16 side, has agreed to join Liverpool on a long-term contract. The 16-year-old centre-back is due to link up with his new club this week, having signed a five-year deal at Anfield — a reminder of the ongoing challenge facing Scottish academies in retaining their brightest young talents once English Premier League interest materialises.

Scott McTominay’s Future Thrown Into Fresh Doubt by Real Madrid Links

Perhaps the most eye-catching story of the morning, however, doesn’t involve either of Glasgow’s two biggest clubs directly, but rather one of the most prominent Scottish footballers playing outside the country. Scott McTominay’s future at Napoli has become a genuine talking point after it emerged that Real Madrid’s incoming head coach, Jose Mourinho, has made direct enquiries about the Scotland international’s availability.

According to Italian transfer journalist Nicolo Schira, <cite index=”14-1″>Mourinho has asked whether a move for McTominay might be possible, with the Portuguese manager still holding the Scottish midfielder in high regard from their time together at Manchester United.</cite> It was Mourinho, of course, who gave McTominay his senior debut at Old Trafford back in 2017, and by several accounts the relationship between the pair has remained warm in the years since. As things stand, <cite index=”14-1″>there has been no concrete approach from Real Madrid to Napoli directly, and the interest remains at the stage of a signal rather than a formal move — though it is one that has nonetheless propelled McTominay’s name back into a much bigger European conversation.</cite>

The context behind the interest is McTominay’s remarkable transformation since leaving Manchester United. He has become one of the most influential midfielders in Serie A, and <cite index=”18-1″>he won the Serie A title in his very first season at Napoli while also being named the league’s Most Valuable Player, going on to finish 18th in that year’s Ballon d’Or rankings.</cite> His numbers in Italy have been consistently productive: across his time at Napoli he has racked up <cite index=”20-1″>27 goals and 10 assists in 80 appearances in all competitions, having previously scored 29 times in 255 games for Manchester United between 2017 and 2024.</cite> Last season alone, <cite index=”20-1″>he contributed 14 goals and four assists in 44 appearances as Napoli again competed at the top of Serie A.</cite>

Should Real Madrid formalise their interest, they would face a significant financial outlay. Napoli’s valuation of their star man has been reported in the region of a genuinely substantial fee, with <cite index=”18-1″>the Italian club understood to have set a price point of at least €80million, a figure Napoli feel effectively rules out any realistic transfer in the short term.</cite> That stance is understandable given McTominay’s importance to the club’s project. <cite index=”19-1″>New Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri is said to be planning to build his midfield around the Scot, with the club working on a fresh contract that would see McTominay tied down beyond his current 2028 expiry date, and there is even talk of making him one of the best-paid players in the entire squad.</cite>

Real Madrid’s motivation to strengthen in central midfield is also fairly clear given their current squad situation. <cite index=”20-1″>Mourinho reportedly wants to retain Aurelien Tchouameni amid interest from Manchester United, while Dani Ceballos is expected to leave the club and Eduardo Camavinga could also be allowed to depart this summer, meaning at least one new midfielder is expected to arrive at the Bernabeu regardless of how the McTominay situation develops.</cite> Beyond Real Madrid, there has also been reported interest from Paris Saint-Germain, with <cite index=”19-1″>Il Mattino reporting that PSG have likewise been credited with tracking his situation as Napoli look to get an extension agreed before external interest intensifies further.</cite>

There is one added complication that has crept into the narrative over recent weeks: McTominay’s underwhelming form for Scotland during the ongoing World Cup has been picked up on by observers assessing whether Real Madrid’s interest represents value for money at the reported asking price. Whether that dip in form on the international stage affects the broader picture of his club value remains to be seen, though most observers continue to view his club form as the far more relevant barometer given the gulf in standard between international tournament football played after a long club season and week-to-week Serie A performances.

For now, Napoli’s position remains defiant. Sources in Italy continue to insist the club has no intention of sanctioning a cut-price departure, and with McTominay contracted until 2028 — and talks over a new deal reportedly already underway — Napoli appear to hold most of the leverage in any negotiation that does eventually develop. Still, with a manager of Mourinho’s stature and history with the player now confirmed to be pushing the idea internally at Real Madrid, this is a story that looks set to run for some time yet, and one that Scottish football fans in particular will continue to follow closely given McTominay’s stature as one of the country’s most recognisable current exports.

What’s Next

With the World Cup quarter-finals just around the corner and pre-season friendlies continuing across the Premiership, the pace of transfer activity in Scotland shows little sign of slowing. Rangers will be desperate to convert their advanced Dragojevic negotiations into a completed deal in the coming days, while a decision on whether to return with an improved bid for Hjerto-Dahl looms as a key call for Derek McInnes and his recruitment team. Celtic, meanwhile, will hope Duran’s imminent arrival is the first of several additions as Martin O’Neill looks to address a squad that fell short of expectations last term. And in Italy, all eyes remain on Naples, where the next chapter of the McTominay saga could shape the direction of one of Serie A’s most closely-watched midfield battles heading into the new season.