Celtic are ahead of rivals Rangers in the race to sign the ‘fantastic’ Scottish Premiership star, with clubs currently lining up to sign him.
Celtic and Rangers compete for SPL star
The race for the Scottish Premiership title is in full swing, with Hearts currently favored, with the Edinburgh side sitting at the top of the table with a five-point lead thanks to a hugely favorable result at the weekend.
Derek McInnes’ side defeated Aberdeen 1-0 at Tynecastle, while Rangers and Celtic drew 2-2 at Ibrox, with Reo Hatate saving a point for the visitors in stoppage time and bringing the ball home after his first penalty was saved by Jack Butland.
Martin O’Neill has now urged his January recruits to step up as the season draws to a close, saying: “We’ve accepted players who have the potential to play in the big leagues, no matter what anyone says. But this is tough, no more tough than going to Ibrox as a starting point.”
“But yes, now that they understand what this is, you’re going to want them to come in and make an impact in the last few months of the season.”
O’Neill is set to leave in the summer, but a replacement for the 74-year-old has not yet been named, but the Hoops are already making plans for the summer transfer window.
It has emerged that the Glasgow giants are neck-and-neck with Rangers in the race to sign Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson, but he is not the only Scottish Premiership star they are eyeing.
Sports Boom reports that Celtic are currently in the race to sign Dundee star Luke Graham, who has been on Rangers’ radar for some time, with Barry Ferguson also considered a big fan.
Dundee are targeting between £2m and £2.5m for the defender amid widespread interest, with Brentford, Portsmouth and Lincoln City also said to be interested.
Graham could sign ‘fantastic’ contract with Celtic
Scotland Under-21s coach Scott Gemmill was full of praise for the 22-year-old, saying earlier this season: “Luke is great. He’s obviously playing at Premiership level now, he’s doing great. He was great in the Czech Republic. He was a great player.”
The Scottish centre-back has not only impressed for his national team, but has averaged 1.0 blocks per 90 in the Scottish Premiership this season, the most of any Dundee player, and ranks second with an average of 1.2 interceptions per 90.
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There are question marks over Celtic’s defense, which has conceded 30 goals in the Scottish Premiership this season – more than Hearts, Rangers and Motherwell.
Bringing in a new centre-back this summer would therefore be a smart move and Graham could be ready to step up from Dundee.
