Celtic and Rangers Pursue Fares Ghedjemis Amid Transfer Market Tensions

The Old Firm rivalry has spilled deep into the transfer market, with Celtic and Rangers going head to head for Italy‑based winger Fares Ghedjemis while both Glasgow giants juggle major decisions on key players and big-money targets.

Ghedjemis chase highlights Italian focus

Both clubs have turned their attention to Frosinone’s Fares Ghedjemis, a 23-year-old Algerian winger whose form in Italy has not gone unnoticed in Glasgow. The interest is real on both sides of the city, but there is a problem: Ghedjemis is understood to favour staying in Italy and stepping up to a bigger Serie A club rather than moving to Scotland.

For Celtic and Rangers, that sets up a familiar summer story. They can make their pitch, they can put money on the table, but the player’s own ambitions may drag him elsewhere. If either club is to land him, they will likely need to outmuscle Italian rivals not just financially but in convincing him that Glasgow is the right next stage of his career.

Celtic juggle exits, big bids and a German midfielder who wants in

While they monitor Ghedjemis, Celtic face a growing battle to keep hold of one of their most reliable performers. Fulham are set to rival Everton in the race for right-back Alistair Johnston, whose consistency and aggression have made him a mainstay in the Celtic back line.

The London club’s interest raises a serious dilemma. Celtic know Premier League money talks, but timing matters. Former striker Chris Sutton has already voiced what many around the club are thinking, insisting Johnston cannot be sold before the Champions League play-off matches. Lose him now and Celtic would be ripping out a cornerstone of their defence on the eve of the most lucrative games of their season.

At the same time, Celtic are digging in over Arne Engels. The club have already knocked back an offer from West Ham and are holding out for around £25m for the 22-year-old, who still has two years left on his contract. The stance is clear: if the midfielder is to leave, it will be on Celtic’s terms and for a fee that reflects both his potential and his importance.

Sutton has questioned why Engels would entertain a move to the Championship with West Ham, underlining the sense inside Celtic circles that dropping out of top-flight football in England would be a sideways step at best for a player of his quality. Celtic, for their part, are acting like a club that know their bargaining position and are prepared to use it.

Amid the noise over outgoings, one player is pushing hard to come in. German midfielder Mika Baur, 22, wants Celtic – and wants them now. The Paderborn man is described as having his heart set on a move to Glasgow and is eager to complete the switch as soon as possible. For Celtic, that sort of intent from a target is gold dust in a window where so many players keep their options open until the last minute.

If they can land Baur while holding firm on Engels and resisting early bids for Johnston, Celtic would emerge from this phase of the window with both their core protected and their squad refreshed.

Rangers brace for exits before a late surge of signings

Across the city, Rangers are preparing for what could be a hectic end to the window. Up to four further signings are being lined up as the club look to bulk out a squad that still feels short in key areas.

The catch? Players will need to go first. A string of departures is likely to be sanctioned, with Nico Raskin – one of Rangers’ most valuable assets – among those who could be sold. Cashing in on Raskin would hurt from a footballing perspective, but it may be the move that unlocks the funds required to complete the next wave of recruitment.

This is the balancing act Rangers know too well: sell at the right time, reinvest quickly, and hope the net effect lifts the team rather than weakens it. Get it wrong, and they hand Celtic yet another advantage in a title race that rarely forgives missteps.

Rangers have already moved in the market, but even their latest addition is caught up in off-field complications. New signing Olwethu Makhanya may miss the Europa League tie against Jagiellonia Bialystok because of a visa issue. It is the kind of administrative snag that can derail early-season plans, especially in Europe where every round carries both prestige and financial weight.

For a club trying to rebuild momentum on the continental stage, the prospect of going into a crucial tie without a fresh recruit is far from ideal.

An Old Firm window with no room for hesitation

Between them, Celtic and Rangers are chasing the same winger in Italy, wrestling with Premier League interest in key men, and weighing up whether to cash in on prized assets to fund the next phase of their rebuilds.

The rivalry will, as always, be decided on the pitch. But in a window like this, with Champions League play-offs looming for Celtic and Europa League qualifiers on Rangers’ doorstep, the sharper, braver moves in the coming weeks could shape not just this season’s title race, but the direction of both clubs for years to come.