Old Firm Rivalry Heats Up in Transfer Market
The Old Firm rivalry has spilled well beyond Glasgow’s city limits this summer, stretching from Italy to Germany and back to the Premier League. Celtic and Rangers are jostling for position on multiple fronts, with both clubs trying to build squads capable of dominating domestically and making a dent in Europe – while richer leagues circle their best talent.
Old Firm duel for Ghedjemis
This time, the tug of war runs through Serie A. Celtic and Rangers are both chasing Frosinone winger Fares Ghedjemis, a 23-year-old Algerian whose pace and directness have caught the eye. The interest is real on both sides of Glasgow, but the player’s preference may prove the decisive factor.
Ghedjemis is thought to favour staying in Italy, aiming for a move to a bigger club there rather than uprooting to Scotland. For Celtic and Rangers, that presents a familiar dilemma: how hard do you push for a player whose heart might already be elsewhere?
Celtic: buying ambition, resisting predators
Celtic’s summer is shaping up as a balancing act between ambition and resistance.
At right-back, Alistair Johnston has attracted serious attention. Fulham are ready to rival Everton in the race to sign the Canada international, who has become a key part of Celtic’s defensive structure and dressing-room core. Losing him now would punch a sizeable hole in Brendan Rodgers’ plans.
Inside the club, there is little appetite to sanction that. Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has made his stance plain, insisting Johnston simply cannot be sold before the Champions League play-off matches. The message is clear: Europe comes first, and any major departures must wait.
On the midfield front, Celtic have set out their stall over Arne Engels. The club have rejected an offer from West Ham for the 22-year-old and are holding out for a £25m fee. Engels still has two years left on his contract, which strengthens Celtic’s hand and underlines their valuation of a player seen as central to the next phase of the team.
Sutton has questioned why Engels would even consider a switch to the Championship with West Ham, highlighting the oddity of leaving a club on the brink of Champions League football for second-tier English football. Celtic’s stance, and the public scrutiny around it, only heighten the pressure on the London side to either walk away or pay up.
While they push back against Premier League interest, Celtic are closing in on another piece of their rebuild. Mika Baur, the 22-year-old German midfielder at Paderborn, has his heart set on a move to Glasgow and wants it done as quickly as possible. That level of intent from the player usually accelerates negotiations. If Celtic can get it over the line, they add energy and technical quality to a midfield already being reshaped around Engels.
So Celtic stand at a crossroads: fend off Fulham and Everton for Johnston, hold their line on Engels, and move swiftly for Baur. Get that right, and they enter the Champions League qualifiers with both stability and fresh legs.
Rangers: rebuild, then reload
Across the city, Rangers are preparing for a different kind of summer. The Ibrox club are planning up to four further signings, but the door will swing both ways.
A raft of exits is expected before the next wave of recruits arrives, with several players likely to be moved on to trim the wage bill and refresh the dressing room. Among those who could depart is Nico Raskin, widely regarded as one of Rangers’ prize assets. The Belgian midfielder has been one of the more saleable pieces in the squad, and cashing in on him would help fund the broader rebuild.
It is a ruthless approach, but Rangers know they cannot stand still while Celtic strengthen and English clubs circle. The transfer window offers a chance to reset – if they are brave enough with their decisions and precise with their replacements.
Not every obstacle is tactical or financial. New signing Olwethu Makhanya, brought in to bolster the back line, may miss the Europa League tie against Jagiellonia Bialystok due to a visa issue. It is the kind of off-field snag that can disrupt early-season plans and deny the manager a look at his new recruit in a high-stakes European tie.
A rivalry stretching across Europe
From Frosinone to Paderborn, from London to Bialystok, the Old Firm rivalry is being written in scouting reports and contract clauses as much as on the pitch.
Celtic are trying to keep their core intact while adding targeted quality, all under the looming shadow of Champions League qualifiers. Rangers are reshaping a squad that needs both freshness and resilience, knowing that one or two big sales may be the price of progress.
Both clubs want Ghedjemis. Celtic want to keep Johnston and name their price for Engels. Rangers weigh up the value of Raskin and wait on Makhanya’s paperwork.
The season has not yet kicked off, but the first battle is already under way – and this one will be decided in boardrooms long before the next tackle flies in at Celtic Park or Ibrox.
