After returning from a good loan spell at Dundee, Owen Beck, a left-back for Liverpool, has faced opposition from Celtic and Rangers in their bids to recruit him.
After spending the first half of the season at Dens Park, Beck was called up early by Anfield because of injuries to Konstantinos Tsimakas and Scotland captain Andy Robertson.
The two Glasgow teams were impressed by the 21-year-old’s performances on Tayside and are now ready to give him an opportunity to prove himself in the Reds first squad under Jurgen Klopp.
The Times claims that when Celtic and Rangers asked about bringing the Wales Under-21 international back to Scotland on a new loan agreement, they were told he couldn’t because he would need to report for first-team duties in the next weeks.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the futures of both Borna Barisic, who is out of contract in the summer due to injury, and Ridvan Yilmaz, who signed a £4 million deal with Rangers 18 months ago but has struggled to maintain a regular first-team spot, Rangers manager Philippe Clement is eager to strengthen the left-back position.
Rangers have also been linked with Scotland Under-21 international Josh Doig, the former Hibs full-back who is currently playing in Serie A with Hellas Verona, with reports in Italy suggesting Verona are also keen on Yilmaz, raising the prospect of a possible swap deal involving the two players.
Sam Lammers could also be on his way out of Ibrox in January after reports emerged of interest from clubs in the English Championship and the Netherlands in the 26-year-old Dutch forward, who will be allowed to leave on loan after failing to impress following his £3m from Atalanta in the summer.
Celtic have also been linked with left-backs, including 22-year-old Tiago Araujo, currently with Estoril in Portugal’s Primeira Liga, as they seek greater competition for regular starter Greg Taylor than has been forthcoming from Alexandro Bernabei.
Elsewhere, Aberdeen are set to demand a club record fee for star striker Bojan Miovski amid interest from clubs across Europe. The North Macedonia international, who has also been linked with Celtic, has scored 15 goals in 29 appearances this season, having netted 19 times last term for club and country. Miovski has two-and-a-half years left on his current deal and, according to Sky Sports, any club looking to sign the 24-year-old will need to eclipse the £5m club record fee paid by Liverpool for Calvin Ramsay 18 months ago.
