Celtic star drops exit hint, Rangers close in on swap deal, Hearts sign 19y/o starlet - Scottish transfers

Celtic star drops exit hint

Daizen Maeda appears likely to depart Celtic this summer after admitting he wants to play a higher level.

The 28-year-old has been a star performer for Japan at the World Cup, scoring in the 1-1 group-stage draw with Sweden and starting the 2-1 stoppage time defeat by Brazil in the last 32.

Maeda had cleared out his belongings from the Lennoxtown training ground in anticipation of making a move last summer only for Celtic to turn down a bid of around £20million from Wolfsburg in the closing stages of the transfer window.

This appeared to affect Maeda's form in the early part of the season but he bounced back to score 12 goals in the last seven games for Celtic to help them secure the Scottish Premiership title and Scottish Cup.

His heart now appears set on a transfer exit this summer following comments made in the aftermath of Japan's heartbreaking World Cup exit.

"I personally feel that I need to keep improving and take another step forward," Maeda said. "It made me realise that I can't stay at my current level and that I need to become a better player."

Hearts capture 19y/o starlet

Hearts have completed the signing of teenage Scottish midfielder Cormac Daly. He was a free agent after leaving English Premier League club Nottingham Forest and is highly regarded at Tynecastle Park. Positive discussions in recent weeks led to a two-year contract for the 19-year-old, who is the eighth new arrival in Gorgie this summer.

He operates as an attacking midfielder - normally out wide but can also play in a central role. He is likely to be loaned out by Hearts initially to gain first-team experience. The club finalised the appointment of Belgian Wouter Vrancken as their new head coach last week, but they had already made their move for Daly as he prepared to leave Forest.

He spoke to the official Hearts website after signing his contract. “I’m absolutely buzzing. I got a phone call from Hearts, and I talked to some of the people at the club about what they're trying to do here, and they have a good plan,” he said. “It's something that I really wanted to be part of, and it really excited me. I know James Wilson, Gus Stevenson and Matt Gillies, I've known them for a number of years, so it'll be good to meet up with them again.

“As a player I'd say I’m direct, quick, just a bit of flair, just a really attacking winger really. I enjoyed my time at Nottingham Forest. It was three years of my life that went by fast but being there, away from home, helped me to develop both on and off the pitch.

“Going out on loan was a big thing for me too, in terms of being able to get a taste of senior football. I enjoyed it and I’m thankful I got to do it. Moving to England three years ago was a step up for me but I’d like to think I proved I could handle it, so the challenge is now to prove once again that I can handle coming to a massive club like Hearts.”

Rangers close in on swap deal

Rangers are set to sign a new goalkeeper as Jack Butland prepares to depart Ibrox in a swap deal.

Butland has been Rangers number one since joining on a free transfer in 2023 following his release by Crystal Palace.

The nine-times capped England stopper is set to complete a £3million move to Hull City, with his replacement moving in the opposite direction.

Hull goalkeeper Ivor Pandur is currently with Croatia at the World Cup but is set to replace Butland at Rangers in a move worth around £6m.

The 26-year-old played in all but one Championship game last season and kept clean sheets in both the play-off semi-final and final victories as Hull clinched promotion to the Premier League.

Pandur is leaving Hull primarily to help the club comply with financial rules and avoid a potential Premier League points deduction. The club has been forced to sell off some of its top assets to satisfy the league's strict Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and Financial Fair Play (FFP) guidelines

By finalising Pandur's £6m departure just before the financial accounting deadline, Hull logs a significant profit on a player they originally bought from Fortuna Sittard for only £1.5m. They will officially log Butland's incoming transfer right after the accounting period resets.