The Scottish Premiership resumes this weekend following the midweek European matchups.
Celtic face Dundee on Saturday as they attempt to maintain and possibly even enhance their outstanding advantage at the top of the table. So far this season, the Hoops have 19 wins out of a possible 23 and a staggering 13-point lead over their closest competitors.
Rangers will try to close the gap between them and their neighbours. Their next hurdle will be an away trip to Dens Park to face Dundee United to cap off the Premiership weekend.
Celtic ‘unlikely’ to meet target asking price
Celtic have been looking to recruit Louie Barry from Aston Villa after he returned from his latest loan with EFL League One club Stockport County. The 21-year-old has 15 goals in 23 games and is likely to turn heads with his strong performances.
A recent rumor indicated that the Hoops were’set to test Villa’s resolve’ with a seven-figure first bid for Barry. However, a recent upgrade has taken the growing star out of Celtic’s reach.
According to Football Insider, Brendan Rodgers and co are ‘unlikely to reach’ Aston Villa’s asking price. Celtic have presented an initial bid of £5 million, reaching the £10 million threshold following add-ons, with a buy-back mechanism also part of the agreement. However, this is insufficient to persuade the Premier League club to split ways with Barry, since they have rebuffed Celtic’s advances.
The Daily Record had reported that Villa ‘would like’ to tie Barry down to a new contract before allowing him to leave on loan. However, the loan conditions are stringent, with the club only allowing a move to the EFL Championship. Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough, and Stoke City from England’s second division have all expressed an interest in Celtic.
Villa are now ‘unwilling’ to cash in on Barry this month unless they receive an offer too good to refuse.
Rangers announced ‘unaffordable’ asking price for the forward.
Cyriel Dessers has been linked with a move for some time now, after losing his regular starting position under Philippe Clement. Earlier this week, journalist Hugh MacDonald emphasized Rangers’ need for compromise when attempting to broker a sale.
“That will be the stumbling block, finding a buyer for him,” MacDonald told PLZ Soccer. “From what I gather, he’s on a huge salary, therefore he’s not going to go to a team that might offer him 50-60% of his current salary until Rangers reach an agreement on a transfer fee or compensation. So it could be the huge problem.”
Indeed, an AS article has subsequently followed up, alleging Rangers are now asking a transfer cost that is ‘currently unaffordable’ for interested party Leganés. The La Liga club had been connected with Dessers prior to the current January chase, but the stumbling block at Ibrox means they are now ‘searching for other avenues’ to sign the 30-year-old forward. If Rangers refuse to lower their asking price, a loan until the end of the season appears to be the most likely outcome.
