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Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Rangers ‘want' defender, Celtic name main target, Hearts starlet in demand
Scottish transfer news from Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, Dundee and beyond this Tuesday morning. Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Here are the top Scottish transfer headlines, rumours and gossip on Tuesday morning, with the latest news from Rangers, Hearts, Dundee and beyond. Celtic teenager Colby Donovan is in demand this summer. | SNS Group Duo chase Celtic teen Celtic youngster Colby Donovan has emerged as a potential target for two clubs this summer, with the 18-year-old likely to leave the club on loan. According to a report from the Daily Record, the defender is being eyed by both Dundee and Ayr United this month, with the former believed to have already opened talks with Celtic over a deal for the player. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Dens Park outfit are keen on signing the full-back for the season after an impressive spell playing for the Hoops' B-team, and Donovan is ready to step up to the challenge of playing regular Scottish Premiership football. However, Scott Brown's side may look to challenge the Dark Blues due to their cooperation agreement with the Scottish champions. Hearts manager Derek McInnes is facing a battle to hang onto star youngster Keir McMeekin. | SNS Group Hearts starlet in demand English Premier League outfit Brighton are reported to be keeping tabs on Scotland under-16 starlet Keir McMeekin, with Hearts potentially set to face a battle to hang onto the talented young midfielder. The highly-rated 15-year-old was involved in the first team towards the end of the season, and is courting interest from the Seagulls, though the Tynecastle hierarchy hope he can follow in the footsteps of striker James Wilson, who broke into the first team last year. "Not every boy is going to get exposed to a Premiership first-team environment, at 16, 17, 18, like James is, so the club cooperation agreements, I think, will be really good for that as well," academy coach Angus Beith said in an exclusive interview with the Hearts Standard. "They can still play for the 19s or the B team, as it is for us, but they're getting that early exposure as well to men's football, with a club that we've got a partnership with, and we're in dialogue with all the time, which I think will be a really good step.' The Daily Record claims Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Manchester United have also been scouting McMeekin, with the youngster unable to sign professional forms in Scotland until next year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Rangers target Dor Turgeman looks set to move to the MLS this summer. | Getty Images Rangers hopes ended Rangers' hopes of adding Maccabi Tel Aviv striker Dor Turgeman to their frontline this summer appear to be over, with the Israeli closing in on a move to the MLS with New England Revolution. The 21-year-old has been touted with a move to Ibrox throughout the summer, with Gers head coach Russell Martin keen on bringing him to the club after he scored 19 goals in all competitions at the Bloomfield Stadium last season. However, any chance of a transfer now seems to have been extinguished after Sky Sports' Luca Bendon i revealed that Turgeman was 'on the verge' of a move to American outfit New England Revolution, after they struck up a deal worth around £4.4million plus addons, and a 25 per cent sell-on clause. Further reports add that the striker is set to fly to Greater Boston to undergo a medical with the club. Meanwhile, Rangers left-back Ridvan Yilmaz is close to leaving Govan this summer, with a report from Sporx stating that his former club Besiktas has made him their priority this summer, with the Turkish side set to open talks on a deal for the defender this week. Celtic are long-term admirers of Belgian winger Michel Ange-Balikwisha. | BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images Celtic name main target Celtic have been tipped to complete a move for long-term transfer target Michel Ange-Balikwisha, according to a report from the Scottish Sun. The Royal Antwerp winger has been a target for head coach Brendan Rodgers since January, though the Scottish champions have been unable to strike a deal for the Belgian, who is in the final year of his contract at the Bosuil Stadion, and is valued at around £5million. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Rodgers is keen to strengthen his wide positions, having sold Nicolas Kuhn to FC Como in a deal worth £18million earlier this summer, with Balikwisha thought to be high on his list of possible replacements for the German. Reports recently claimed a move for the 24-year-old could be dictated by the club's participation in the Champions League, though the report said: 'The amount of texts I got about is Balikwisha signing, and speaking to people who are adamant Celtic have secured a deal for a winger. I don't know who it is, whether that's true or not; time will tell.' In contrast, it has also been reported that Celtic view Go Ahead Eagles star Jakob Breum as their main transfer target heading into the final days of the window. Journalist Pete O'Rourke claims that the Hoops have had 'multiple' bids rebuffed, but will continue to pursue the 21-year-old as the deadline draws closer. Rangers 'want' to sign Anass Salah-Eddine this summer. | ANP/AFP via Getty Images Rangers 'want' defender Rangers are said to have revived their interest in AS Roma defender Anass Salah-Eddine, according to reports in the Italian media. The Ibrox club are set to lose Jefte in a £5million switch to Palmerias this week, and have identified the 23-year-old as a replacement for the Brazilian. A target for the club last summer prior to his loan move to FC Twente, the Dutch left-back only moved to the Italian capital in January but featured just three times in the Serie A and could be available for a transfer before the window shuts.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
West Berkshire Council seeks residents' views on Thatcham's PSPO
Residents are being asked for their views on the future of a public spaces protection order (PSPO).The order was introduced as an additional measure to deal with anti-social issues in Thatcham town centre, West Berkshire Council PSPO is due to expire in November 2025, and the council is asking residents whether it should be extended for another three consultation will be live until 29 September. The findings will then go to a sub-group of the West Berkshire Health and Wellbeing Board for a recommendation on the final decision, which will be made in early McCann, the council's executive member for public safety and community engagement, said: "Since its implementation, the PSPO has been an effective preventative tool in tackling anti-social behaviour and supporting the police in the town."The proposed extension would ensure that the PSPO remains in place for another three years and continues to provide the police with an effective tool at their disposal."We want to hear your view on the future of the Public Spaces Protection Order in Thatcham town centre, and I would urge everyone to take part in the consultation." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Panjab Warriors 'feel blessed' to be Morecambe's new owners
Just two days before potential expulsion from the National League, and the extinction which would almost certainly have followed, Morecambe FC's financial crisis has finally led to a completed owners Panjab Warriors arrived at the club's stadium for their first day in charge on Monday, having purchased the shares of former owner Jason group had initially agreed a takeover deal in June, before a protracted period of flurried public dispute between the two parties led to widespread concern that the club would not be sold and ultimately cease that the club's new ownership is official, BBC Sport returned to the town to ask Panjab Warriors, club staff, and the fans about what has been going on behind the scenes and how they are approaching the future. "First and foremost we can't thank everybody enough because it's been a difficult and very long journey," Morecambe's new chief executive and Panjab Warriors member Ropinder Singh told BBC Sport. "The last seven, eight weeks have been horrendous for everybody involved, ourselves included, but it's shown a lot of collectiveness, a lot of true grit."At first [completing the deal] was a sense of relief. It's now turned into a feeling of pride, and a sense of gratitude and humility. We feel blessed to be given the role of custodians of this club."We don't want to go too much into how the takeover process [was finalised], but this is a nightmare that has finished. Now we move forward, we don't look back."Panjab Warriors must now pay off various debts and creditors in order to fully resolve Morecambe's financial BBC was told by staff that they received their June wages on Monday – the first time they have been paid their salaries in 10 weeks - and that they expect to be paid July's instalment later this week."First and foremost we wanted to make sure that all the staff, players, everybody involved, is paid their wages because that has been so long overdue," Ropinder Singh added. "Then it is the liabilities with HMRC and other stuff."Nine o'clock on Tuesday morning the real work starts, turning things around on and off the pitch." That will be no easy task given that Morecambe currently have a squad of five first-team players, no manager, and are due to face Altrincham at 12:30pm on BBC was informed that the team's kit will only be delivered later this week, and that players are still not insured to play or train, meaning that a postponement - just like their opening three fixtures of the season - is this summer, when Panjab Warriors first agreed to take over the club, the BBC learned that the group planned to remove manager Derek Adams from his position and replace him with 30-year-old former Notts Country, Wigan Athletic and Como coach Ashvir Singh Johal, who has never managed a senior first team Johal even conducted an interview with the BBC in which he thanked Panjab Warriors for hiring him. But the takeover wasn't completed at the time, and so Adams remained in post, unpaid and with no squad to has now been removed from his position, with his sacking announced while the BBC was interviewing the new owners on Monday evening. Singh Johal is expected to be his 50-year-old Adams has become a hugely popular figure among the fanbase, having managed the club three times and led them to League One for the first time in their asked on Monday - while Adams' sacking was being finalised by another member of the ownership group in an adjacent room - whether they still planned to let him go and install Singh Johal in his place, Panjab Warriors head of communications Gurpreet Singh said: "All we want to say is, trust us. "There are going to be changes. We went from League One all the way down to the National League. But we are here for the betterment of the club, so trust us."Adams declined to speak to the BBC. For a fanbase already scorned by Whittingham's catastrophic ownership, cautious optimism is blended with a desire to hold Panjab Warriors to account."To say I'm convinced by them is a difficult thing to fully commit to," says Pat Stoyles, chair of fans' group The Shrimps' Trust, whose volunteers have given up time and energy for months in order to try and help seal a takeover."But, since last Thursday, they've been in daily contact with me, asking little bits of advice, and they're keeping us updated with what's actually going on. That is communication from a level we've not had in many years."It feels amazing to know we can get back to playing matches, to our friendships, our banter."I can't wait to see the atmosphere in that first home game because I think it'll be immense."At a political level, local MP Lizzi Collinge says pressure will be put on the new owners to run the club correctly, and insists that the government's new independent football regulator should prevent similar cases from happening in future."It feels like there's been this huge black cloud over the town for the last couple of months and we've had moments of hope and that hope has been dashed," she said. "It is such a relief to know that Jason Whittingham no longer owns the club."I have had some contact with Panjab Warriors - they have an opportunity now to run a fantastic local football club. I will be closely watching what they are doing." Whether Panjab Warriors are the guiding hand fans hope can lead the club back into the English Football League remains to be seen. They insist that they have funded the club in order to prevent it collapsing for a year, and say that all creditors will be paid off within questions persist over how the club will become sustainable in the long term and how they can build a new squad at such staff members who have received their first salaries since May, though, the ability to breathe again is a huge source of comfort."I've been in my savings, but others had it tougher than me," says Les Dewhirst, the club's kit man for 30 years. "They know that they can be normal again, not borrowing off friends, not thinking they have to go to the food banks or rely on donations."That level of certainty in the present is a help, then. But the trust Panjab Warriors are asking for will have to be earned over time."Why do these people want to own our club?" Dewhirst asks. "I hope it's for the right reasons."
