Scottish Premiership have officially announced that Rangers will have to pay Celtic and two Celtic players suspended over last season’s affair.
Rangers ‘hold talks’ over sale of £4m star as club manager drops hint on Celtic’s pursuit of Japanese left-back
Newly promoted Championship side Birmingham City have held talks to try and sign Rangers defender Ben Davies on a permanent deal, according to reports from Birmingham World.
The former Liverpool defender barely featured under Michael Beale and Phillipe Clement during the 2023/24 campaign and was subsequently sent out on loan to the third tier of English football with Birmingham City where he has since been able to rejuvenate his career with a series of solid performances.
Davies played 44 matches in total across all competitions for the Blues as they steamrolled their way to the League One title with a record-breaking 111 points while also reaching the final of the EFL Trophy and reaching the fourth round of the FA Cup.
It means Davies has now only played 14 less games for Birmingham than he has managed throughout his time at Ibrox following a £4m switch from Anfield way back in 2022 when Giovanni van Bronckhorst was still in charge.
The 29-year-old had signed a four-year deal with the Glasgow heavyweights at the time, with Jurgen Klopp describing the transfer as a ‘smart piece of recruitment’ adding that “Ben belongs on a big stage for sure.’
Ben Davies is heading into the final year of his contract at Rangers, leaving new boss Russell Martin with a key decision on whether to cash in on the player with a possible £2m deal with Birmingham being mooted, or alternatively reintegrate the player back into his team.
Martin runs the risk of losing Davies on a free transfer next summer but at this stage is keen not to rush his decision over the defender’s long-term future.
Birmingham World explains that Davies is likely to be inspected throughout pre-season by the new Ibrox gaffer to assess whether he feels he still has a role to play and the same way of thinking is also likely to be used regarding the future of Kieran Dowell, who joined Davies in the West Midlands for the second half of last season.
Elsewhere, the outlet understands Birmingham, who have ambitions of achieving back-to-back promotions are keeping tabs on the availability of former Celtic frontman Kyogo Furuhashi just six months on from his Parkhead exit.
Celtic have already signed Kieran Tierney on a free transfer from Arsenal this summer but are believed to be considering a move for Kosugi to provide cover for the Scottish international after Greg Taylor’s decision to leave Parkhead for pastures new.
The Hoops had Jeffrey Schlupp on the books in a loan deal from Crystal Palace but are now thought to be assessing alternative targets, with Kosugi being one of them.
The 19-year-old played 34 times across all competitions last term and helped the Swedish side reach the semi-final of the Conference League before falling short against eventual winners Chelsea.
“There have been rumours all along,” said Jani Honkavaara, the manager of the Swedish top-flight side,
“When we had a good season in Europe, there was a lot of interest.He’s a good player and if we lose him we have to find a replacement. We’ve sold for quite a lot of money. I hope we can spend some money too.”
