Celtic and Rangers Battle for Fares Ghedjemis Amid Transfer Turmoil

The Old Firm rivalry has spilled into Italy, Germany and beyond, with Celtic and Rangers circling the same targets while juggling their own transfer flashpoints at home.

Old Firm eye Fares Ghedjemis – but Italy still calls

Both Glasgow giants are tracking Fares Ghedjemis of Frosinone, a 23-year-old winger whose profile fits the modern wide-forward mould: direct, energetic, and with room to grow.

There is a snag. Ghedjemis is understood to favour staying in Italy, but at a bigger club. That leaves Celtic and Rangers pitching against not just each other, but the allure of Serie A and the comfort of a league he already knows. For now, it is interest rather than breakthrough, yet the fact both clubs are on the same player underlines how similar their recruitment needs have become.

Celtic: holding firm, spending big, and under pressure

On the east side of the city, Celtic are trying to build from a position of strength – and are discovering how expensive that can be.

The club want £25m for Arne Engels after knocking back an offer from West Ham for the 22-year-old, who still has two years left on his contract. That price tag is a statement. Celtic are behaving like a club determined not to be picked off cheaply, even when English money comes calling.

Former striker Chris Sutton has questioned why Engels would even entertain a move to the Championship with West Ham, arguing it jars with the player’s potential and current status. His view reflects a wider sentiment among supporters: if Celtic are to let go of key assets, it should be upwards, not sideways.

At the same time, the Alistair Johnston situation is starting to tighten. Fulham are ready to rival Everton for the right-back, whose form has inevitably drawn Premier League attention. Sutton has been clear on one point – Johnston cannot be sold before the Champions League play-off matches. From a footballing perspective, he is right. Lose your starting right-back before the most lucrative fixtures of the season and you invite chaos.

Celtic know that. The timing of any sale, if it happens at all, could shape their entire European campaign.

Mika Baur’s mind is made up

While some players weigh options, Mika Baur is not one of them.

The 22-year-old German midfielder at Paderborn has his heart set on a move to Celtic and wants it done as quickly as possible. That kind of intent is gold dust for a club trying to refresh its squad with hungry, upwardly mobile talent.

If Celtic can turn that desire into a deal, they add a player desperate to prove himself on a bigger stage, and one who already sees Glasgow as the right next step rather than a stepping stone.

Rangers: rebuild, but only after the clear-out

Across the city, Rangers are bracing for a different kind of summer – one that could be defined as much by exits as arrivals.

Plans are in place to strengthen the squad with up to four further signings. The ambition is bold. The reality is more complicated. A “plethora” of departures is expected first, with the sale of prize asset Nico Raskin on the table.

Raskin’s potential exit would sting. He is one of the few players in the current squad viewed as both a footballing pillar and a financial asset. Cashing in would help fund the rebuild, but it also rips quality out of the middle of the pitch. Rangers are walking a tightrope: sell to grow, but not so much that the team regresses in the short term.

Makhanya’s early setback

Even the new faces are not immune to turbulence.

Fresh signing Olwethu Makhanya could miss the Europa League tie against Jagiellonia Bialystok because of a visa issue. It is the kind of off-field snag that infuriates managers. A player recruited to help in key European qualifiers might not be available when it matters most.

For a Rangers side already under pressure to make a statement in Europe, every absence counts. Every delay hurts.

Two clubs, one city, and a familiar story: shared targets, competing ambitions, and transfer windows that refuse to run smoothly. As the weeks tick down and the season closes in, the question is simple – which half of Glasgow will emerge from this market stronger, and which will be left explaining what might have been?