Ghedjemis Sparks Old Firm Rivalry in Transfer Market

The first blows of the new season have already landed on the pitch. Now Celtic and Rangers are trading them in the boardroom.

Fares Ghedjemis, the winger coveted by both halves of Glasgow, has reportedly made up his mind. If he leaves Frosinone, he wants Celtic.

That single preference drops like a stone into the middle of an already choppy Old Firm summer.

Celtic’s slow burn, Rangers’ fast start

Celtic’s window has crept into life rather than exploded. Kasper Høgh has arrived from Bodø/Glimt after Camilo Duran, a welcome boost after a sizeable exodus from Parkhead, but the squad still looks light in key areas. The champions need more, and they know it.

Across the city, Rangers have gone for volume. Eight new faces in for Derek McInnes, a statement that the new manager will not die wondering. Yet their opening-day Scottish Premiership draw with Dundee United showed the obvious risk: so many changes, so little cohesion.

It was not the launch McInnes wanted as he chases payback on Celtic and Martin O’Neill for last season’s final-day title heartbreak. The scars from that afternoon have not faded.

Celtic, for their part, did little to convince anyone that the gap is unbridgeable. A laboured 1-0 win over Dundee brought three points but few fireworks. Efficient, not emphatic.

The title race already feels like it could go the distance again. And in the middle of that looming marathon, the Ghedjemis chase has become a telling subplot.

A January near-miss, a summer twist

Celtic have been here before with Ghedjemis. In January, they had a €6m bid accepted by Frosinone for the Algeria international. The path was clear. The deal was there.

The player said no.

At 23, he chose to stay in Italy and drive Frosinone’s promotion push. It proved the right call for them: promotion to Serie A secured, Ghedjemis central to their rise.

That success has changed everything. Frosinone now see him as a Serie A asset, not a second-tier sale. They have raised his price and, crucially, they believe that the lure of facing Italy’s elite should be enough to keep him where he is.

Celtic, though, are back at the table. And this time, the player’s stance has shifted.

According to Celts Are Here, Ghedjemis is now open to a move to Glasgow and, significantly, he would prefer Celtic to Rangers.

In a market where money usually shouts loudest, that is no small detail.

Rangers outbid Celtic – but not the player’s choice

If preference alone decided transfers, Celtic would already be clearing a locker. It does not.

Rangers have pushed harder on the fee. An £8m offer has already gone in from Ibrox and been rejected. That bid eclipsed Celtic’s January figure and underlined just how serious McInnes and the Rangers board are about landing the Algerian.

Frosinone said no. Not enough, not yet.

For Celtic, it sets a brutal benchmark. To re-enter the race properly, they must jump from that initial €6m bid to something closer to – or beyond – Rangers’ rejected offer. The financial stretch is obvious. The question is whether they are willing to make it for a player who turned them down once, even if his stance has changed.

Right now, the dynamic is clear: Celtic hold the edge on the player’s heart, Rangers on the size of the cheque.

Frosinone will listen to only one of those.

Forty-eight hours that could reshape a window

The next two days matter.

Frosinone are set to hold fresh talks over Ghedjemis’ future within the next 48 hours as interest in the winger continues to swell. This is no longer a straight Old Firm tug-of-war. Clubs from France, Spain and Italy are also tracking him, sensing an opportunity if the Glasgow giants hesitate.

Celtic walk into those talks with the advantage of the player’s preference. Rangers arrive with proof they are prepared to pay more. Both know that Serie A survival is Frosinone’s priority and that losing one of their best players on the eve of a top-flight campaign is the last thing the Italians want.

Something has to give. Either a club hits the number Frosinone are holding out for, or the Italian side dig in and dare Ghedjemis to turn down Serie A football for a second time.

For Celtic, landing him would send a sharp message after a cautious start to the window: they can still beat Rangers when it comes to the biggest calls. For Rangers, winning this battle would underline McInnes’ intent to reshape the squad aggressively and quickly, even if the early league form stutters.

The Old Firm have traded titles, managers and momentum for decades. Now they wait to see if they will trade blows again over a 23-year-old Algerian winger whose next move could tilt the balance of a season that has barely begun.