Celtic in transfer 'battle' for goalkeeper as Rangers scout makes 'priced out' confession over £7m deal

Rangers boosted their hopes of securing European football after Christmas courtesy of a 2-1 win over Sparta Prague in the Europa League last night.

In contrast, Celtic are staring an early Champions League exit in the face following their 6-0 humbling at the hands of Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital earlier this week.

Focus now quickly shifts back on to league business this weekend, with both Glasgow club in against on Sunday against Livingston and Aberdeen respectively. In the meantime, we have rounded up all of the latest transfer stories on Friday, November 10th:

Celtic transfer battle for goalkeeper 'intensifies'

Celtic target Andriy Lunin is being closely monitored by La Liga side Real Betis as the battle for his signature looks set to intensify.

The wantaway Real Madrid goalkeeper is third-choice in the packing order behind Thibaut Courtois and Chelsea loanee Kepa Arrizabalaga at the Spanish giants.

The Ukrainian international has been identified as a potential long-term replacement for current Hoops No.1 Joe Hart, who is in the final year of his contract at Parkhead.

However, Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini is also planning for the future and wants Lunin to fill in for 40-year-old Claudio Bravo, who is nearing the end of his playing career.

It is claimed Lunin will be 'inundated' with offers in January if Madrid allow him to move on, with Premier League side Chelsea reportedly open to a swap deal should Arrizabalaga seek a permanent move.

Rangers scout in £7m striker deal 'priced out' confession

Rangers showed interest in signing Abdallah Sima PERMANENTLY two-and-a-half years ago, it is being claimed. The Brighton and Hove Albion loanee was a target for the Ibrox back in 2021 according to the club's Easter European scout Piotr Kasprzak.

Sima created a positive impression during his time with Slavia Prague in the Czech Republic and even featured against his future employers when they knocked Steven Gerrard's side out of the Europa League.

Premier League side Brighton would eventually cough up £7million to bring the Senegalese forward to England just a few months later. However, it seems unlikely he will force his way into manager Roberto Di Zebri's future plans and the Gers are expected to try and sign Sima on a permanent deal next year depending on finances.

Kasprzak told Polish publication Goal that Sima's arrival in Govan was a deal two years in the making. He admitted: "We remembered him from the times of Slavia Prague. He joined them and was a sensation. We rated him highly, but we simply couldn't spend that much money on him at the time. He went to Brighton, then went on loan to France, came back, and now has been loaned to Rangers.

"Probably, if it weren't for the fact that we had him in our datatbase from his time at Slavia and he was stuck in our memory, we wouldn't have gone for him in the summer, because his name wouldn't mean much to us. And now he is one of our best players. This past work has come to fruition, albeit with a delayed start."