Celtic star told price tag as Premier League to offer Rangers boost

Hearts and Hibs are back in Premiership action this week following last weekend's Cup fixtures. Both Edinburgh clubs have now reached the fifth round of the Scottish Cup following respective wins over Spartans and Forfar but must now look ahead to solidifying their league places ahead of the split.

The Jambos will take on Dundee as they hope to continue their run of form which sees them sitting third in the league, five points clear of St Mirren in a game in hand, while Hibs welcome Rangers to Easter Road tomorrow (Wednesday 24 January) as they aim to stay well within the top six places.

Ahead of Hibs and Hearts' return to Premiership action, here is the latest news from their league rivals as the January transfer window nears its' final week...

Celtic star receives price tag

Celtic will demand a fee of at least £20m for midfielder Matt O'Riley in the summer window and there is no possibility of the 23-year-old leaving the Scottish Premiership leaders before the January window end (Football Insider).

This latest report is despite the strongly speculated interest from La Liga leaders Girona and Serie A giants Inter Milan. Premier League sides have also been monitoring his situation. However, Brendan Rodgers has made it clear that the club have "no intention of selling" him this month with his contract currently set until May 2027.

The Danish international has managed ten goals and ten assists in 28 games so far this season and Rodgers will be desperate to keep him while the Hoops look to seal their third consecutive Scottish Premiership title.

Hoops suffer transfer set-back

Any aspirations Celtic had of signing Liverpool left-back Owen Beck in this transfer window have been ended after the 21-year-old was used as a substitute in their 4-0 win over Bournemouth, which means that only Dundee, with whom he impressed on loan in the first part of the season, and his parent club can use him for the rest of 2023-24 season (The Scotsman).

The defender has made several standout performances at Dens Park so far this season with the Hoops having eyed him out as a potential transfer for many weeks. Rodgers had been on the look-out for a new left-back to compete with Greg Taylor but as Beck has now played for two teams this season, the 21-year-old is no longer an option. FIFA rules state that only Dundee and the Premier League current leaders can use him for the rest of the 2023/24 season.

Premier League to offer Rangers boost

Abdallah Sima's agent has hinted that the on-loan Brighton forward will extend his time with Rangers because the 22-year-old is enjoying being at the Premiership club so much (The Herald).

The striker - who has suffered a recent setback this week after being sent home from AFCON with a thigh injury - has scored ten goals so far this season already and is the club's joint top-scorer. His France-based agent, Bathie Toure, recently revealed during in an interview in Senegal how much the Senegalese star has been enjoying his time at Ibrox.

He said: "Abdallah Sima is good at Rangers and wants to continue there. He likes there atmosphere at the club and wants to continue to evolve as a player. Abdallah is currently the most exciting young Senegalese player. He is a hard worker and has been looked after well in his career.

"At the moment, he is happy because he is playing every week at Rangers. He feels comfortable there and it is definitely his wish to stay. We will see what happens at the end of is loan."