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Scottish gossip: Cathro, O’Riley, Bernardo, Dahbo, Gray, Bair, Boyle, Kabadayi, Rrahmani – BBC Sport

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5 months ago

June 29, 2024

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Scottish gossip: Cathro, O’Riley, Bernardo, Dahbo, Gray, Bair, Boyle, Kabadayi, Rrahmani – BBC Sport

29 June 2024, 08:58 BST

Updated 1 hour ago

Ian Cathro is poised to return to front-line management for the first time since leaving Heart of Midlothian seven years ago after agreeing terms with Portuguese Primeira Liga club Estoril and the 37-year-old Scot is set to take over once the departure of current head coach Vasco Seabra is finalised. (Edinburgh Evening News)

Former Scotland defender Russell Martin is poised to sign a new three-year deal as Southampton manager after the 38-year-old led the club back to the Premier League. (Sky Sports)

Lewis Ferguson is focusing on his rehab and a return to action with Bologna rather than exploring any transfer moves, with agent Bill McMurdo insisting that reported interest from Juventus in the 24-year-old before the Scotland midfielder’s long-term injury were just rumours. (Football Scotland)

Los Angeles have made their interest in Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Marc Leonard concrete, but a number of clubs across Europe are also beginning to express an interest in the 22-year-old Scotland Under-21 international. (Anthony Joseph on X)

Southampton are ready to make a move for 23-year-old Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley, but Celtic will demand a £30m transfer fee that would smash the previous record received for a player when Jota left for Al-Ittihad 12 months ago. (The Times)

Paulo Bernardo is among several B team players who will join Benfica’s pre-season training when it starts on 3 July, although the 22-year-old midfielder has limited chances of becoming part of Roger Schmidt’s first-team squad as talks continue about a return to Celtic after last season’s loan. (Record)

Celtic scouts are closely following 18-year-old Hacken midfielder Pontus Dahbo, who is valued by the Swedish club at £3.4m despite only 20 first-team appearances and is under contract until 2025. (Fotboll Direkt)

Etienne Vaessen’s now completed transfer from Waalwijk to newly promoted Groningen was one of the worst-kept secrets in Dutch football despite reports of interest in the 28-year-old goalkeeper from Celtic. (HITC)

Besiktas have reached an agreement in principle to sign 20-year-old Rangers-linked left winger Yusuf Kabadayi from Bayern Munich. (Super Haber)

New Rapid Bucharest head coach Neil Lennon may soften his hardline stance on not allowing 23-year-old Rangers-linked forward Albion Rrahmani to leave this summer after the Romanian club spent £600,000 to sign Slovakia Under-21 international Timotej Jambor from Zilina. (Daily Record)

Gerald Taylor’s impending loan transfer with an option to buy to Hearts from Deportivo Saprissa has taken a major step forward after the move was granted the Scottish FA approval the 23-year-old Costa Rican right-back needs to gain a working visa. (Edinburgh Evening News)

Hearts striker Kyosuke Tagawa is attracting interest from Japan and Portugal, defender Alex Cochrane has been scouted by English clubs, while Nathaniel Atkinson, fellow defender Toby Sibbick and possibly midfielder Jorge Grant may all discover that their best chance of regular football is to move on from the Edinburgh club. (Edinburgh Evening News)

Motherwell team-mates would be happy to see Theo Bair sold this summer as they think the 24-year-old Canada striker deserves a big move for the hard work he has put into the remarkable turnaround in his career, suggests right-back Stephen O’Donnell. (The Herald)

Ross County manager Don Cowie aims to fend off interest from other clubs and keep Simon Murray for the remaining year of the 32-year-old striker’s contract. (Daily Record, print edition)

Kristijan Lovric has sparked rumours of a summer transfer to Aberdeen after the 28-year-old winger who plays for Osjiek in the Croatian top-tier started following Dons chief executive Alan Burrows and defender Slobodan Rubezic on the social media platform Instagram. (Daily Record)

Although Aberdeen have already made three signings this close season, new manager Jimmy Thelin insists new arrivals will not block the path for the club’s rising youth stars. (Press & Journal)

Hibernian sporting director Malky Mackay says he is introducing a “recruitment process” designed to reduce the risk of signings not working out. (Daily Record)

Hibs head coach David Gray plans to give Martin Boyle more responsibility in the dressing room amid speculation that the 31-year-old winger wants to move to the A-League. (The Scotsman)

Paul Hanlon, the 34-year-old centre-half freed by Hibs, has revealed he knocked back the chance to move abroad or stay in the Scottish Premiership to “put down roots” at Raith Rovers. (The Courier)

Manchester United have joined Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in registering interest in Leeds United’s 18-year-old Scotland-qualified midfielder, Archie Gray. (TeamTalk)

Leeds United do not want to lose midfielder Archie Gray this summer, but with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich pushing hard for his signature amid interest from top clubs in England and Spain, the 18-year-old’s most likely destination is Germany if the Championship club are forced to sell to comply with PSR financial rules. (HITC)

Celtic midfielder Daniel Kelly has a number of other options on the table, including from German champions Bayer Leverkusen, but the Scottish champions hope to convince the 18-year-old to commit his long-term future to the club beyond the end of his current deal in December. (Football Scotland)

Rangers headed off strong interest from clubs in the Premier League and Major League Soccer to secure 18-year-old midfielder Alexander Smith, the academy product eligible for United States and Scotland, on a three-year contract. (Fabrizio Romano on X)

Republic of Ireland Under-21 winger Rocco Vata is now a free agent after his Celtic contract officially expired, but the Scottish champions still hope to tie the 19-year-old down on a new long-term deal despite facing stiff competition from clubs in Italy and England. (Football Scotland)