Ex Celtic striker ‘eyed’ for shock European return as Rangers star ‘closes in’ on £5.5m Leeds United transfer

Rangers are preparing for the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie against PSV Eindhoven at Ibrox tonight, while Celtic are dissecting their Viaplay Cup exit at the hands of Kilmarnock on Sunday.

Michael Beale will hope his Gers side can take beat the Dutch outfit ahead of next week’s return leg and Brendan Rodgers has a defensive injury crisis on his hands, with Maik Nawrocki and Cameron Carter-Vickers facing a spell on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, there are just 9 days remaining before the summer transfer window slams shut and there could yet be movement at both Glasgow clubs. Here are the latest transfer news headlines on Tuesday, August 22:

Rangers midfielder ‘closes in’ on £5.5m Leeds United transfer

Glen Kamara is reportedly closing in on a £5.5million transfer to long-time admirers Leeds United after the Yorkshire club stepped up their efforts to land the midfielder.

The 27-year-old has been limited to a bit-part role under Michael Beale and his four-and-a-half year spell at Ibrox now looks to be nearing an end. The Scottish Sun claim the player’s representatitves have held talks with EFL Championship sides Middlesbrough and Coventry City, but rivals Leeds remains the current front-runners to land Kamara.

The Finland international, who joined Rangers for a bargain £50,000 fee in January 2019, was a key member of Steven Gerrard’s title-winning squad but the arrivals of Nicolas Raskin and Jose Cifuentes has hampered his game time, and a move to Elland Road could be finalised in the coming days.

Negotiations are understood to be at an advanced stage, with Kamara - who still has two years remaining on his current deal - expected to make Rangers a significant profit. He returned to the club’s Auchenhowie base last week after being told to train in isolation earlier this month as he spoke to several clubs over a possible transfer.

Ex-Celtic ‘eyed’ for shock European return

Interest in former Hoops striker Giorgos Giakoumakis from a host of European clubs is ‘heating up’, according to The Athletic, who report an offer for the player could be received by parent club Atalanta United in the coming days.

The powerful Greek international, who left Parkhead suddenly last season, has scored an impressive 12 goals in 18 appearances in the MLS since his arrival back in March and is just one goal off the top scorer spot across the entire league, despite playing significantly few minutes than anybody else.

His terrific form has caught the attention of several clubs in Europe, but Atalanta insists their star frontman is NOT for sale following his £4million transfer earlier this year. As of yet, no official offers are on the table.