Rangers and Celtic Face Transfer Setbacks as PSV and Monaco Stand Firm

The transfer market has turned into a straight sprint between Glasgow and the continent, and right now, neither of Scotland’s big two are getting easy wins.

Rangers Frustrated in Driouech Chase

Rangers went back to PSV Eindhoven with more money on the table. Around £6m for Couhaib Driouech, an improved offer for a winger they see as a key piece of their rebuild.

PSV said no.

The Dutch club have rejected the bid, and the door is now wide open for competition. Burnley and Celta Vigo have stepped in, talks described as being at an early stage, but their presence changes the landscape. Rangers are no longer dealing with a one-on-one negotiation; they’re in a queue.

Celta Vigo may already have an edge. Driouech, 24, is understood to hold a slight preference for the Spanish side after they entered the race. La Liga, the climate, the style of football – it all has its pull, and Rangers will know that. If they want him, they may need to move quickly and decisively, or accept that this one could slip away.

Celtic Shut Out on Ghedjemis

Across the city, Celtic have hit a wall of their own.

Monaco have made Algeria winger Fares Ghedjemis their top target for the right flank. Their first offer to Frosinone – £6m plus £1.7m in bonuses – has already been rejected. Frosinone are holding their line, just as they did with Celtic and Rangers.

Both Glasgow clubs saw bids of £8.6m turned down for the 23-year-old. That level of resistance tells its own story: Frosinone believe they can drive the price higher, and Monaco look ready to test that theory with an improved proposal.

For Celtic, and for Rangers, the message is blunt. Their money was not enough, and their timing may now be off. Once a club like Monaco locks onto a priority target, the financial muscle usually follows.

Hassan Deal Edges Closer for Celtic

If one door has slammed shut, another is swinging open for Celtic.

Haissem Hassan, the 24-year-old Egypt winger, has been left out of Real Oviedo’s squad for their pre-season match against Le Havre. That omission is no coincidence. He is the subject of a £9m bid from Celtic and is waiting for the green light to undergo a medical.

The structure of the deal underlines how much Celtic want him. An agreement is in place on a contract running until 2030, a long-term commitment that signals trust in his potential and importance in their attacking plans.

Real Oviedo are set to receive £6m up front, with a further £1.3m tied to Celtic reaching the Champions League proper. Performance-based incentives, but from Oviedo’s perspective, very realistic ones given Celtic’s domestic dominance.

There is one hitch. Hassan is dealing with visa issues, a bureaucratic delay rather than a footballing one. The move is poised, the framework agreed, the player waiting.

Julian Calero, Real Oviedo’s head coach, has already made the club’s stance clear: they will not stand in the way of Hassan’s move to Celtic. When a manager speaks like that, the direction of travel is obvious.

The question now is not whether Celtic will land their man, but how quickly they can get him on the pitch – and whether Rangers can find an answer of their own in a market that is suddenly fighting back.