Celtic Pursues Keane as Desmond Weighs O’Neill Role

Celtic’s summer rebuild has begun not on the training pitch, but in the boardroom – and with a familiar name at the centre of it. Robbie Keane has held what have been described as constructive talks over the vacant manager’s job, with further discussions lined up this week as the club sharpens its focus on a long-term appointment.

Keane, a former fans’ favourite at Celtic Park during his loan spell as a player, has been on the radar before. This time, the conversations have moved beyond polite interest. The dialogue is active, the schedule set. Celtic are not just testing the water; they are wading in.

Alongside that pursuit, principal shareholder Dermot Desmond is preparing another important conversation. He will sit down with interim boss Martin O'Neill to gauge how the veteran manager sees his future and whether he is willing to remain at the club in some capacity once a permanent successor is in place.

O’Neill’s presence has steadied Celtic in a turbulent spell. Desmond must now decide how that experience and authority can be woven into the next chapter. A backroom role? An advisory position? The answer will shape the power structure around whoever walks into the dugout next. Celtic’s next move is not just about a new face on the touchline; it is about the hierarchy that supports him.

Across the city, Rangers are not waiting for anyone. They have opened direct contact with the representatives of Hammarby right-back Hampus Skoglund, a player under contract in Sweden for another three years. That detail matters. With a long deal in place, Hammarby hold the leverage, so any agreement will require Rangers to put serious value on the table.

Right-back has been a position of recurring debate at Ibrox, and Skoglund fits the modern brief: young, contracted, and with room to grow. By moving straight to his camp, Rangers have signalled clear intent. This is not idle scouting; it is the beginning of a push to get a deal done before the market becomes crowded.

South of the border, West Ham United are preparing for life in the Championship and have turned their gaze firmly towards Scotland. The London club have made an initial enquiry about Hibernian midfielder Josh Mulligan, 23, as they start to assemble a squad built for the grind of a promotion campaign.

An enquiry is only a first step, but it tells its own story. West Ham want legs and energy in midfield, players who can handle a relentless schedule and the physical edge of the second tier. Mulligan’s age and profile tick those boxes, and the timing of the approach underlines how early West Ham intend to get their business moving.

Their interest does not stop there. West Ham are also monitoring Celtic centre-forward Callum Osmand, one of the Scottish champions’ most promising young forwards. At 20, he represents exactly the kind of long-term project Championship clubs often try to secure before prices explode.

There is a problem for West Ham, though, and it sits firmly in Glasgow. Celtic are unlikely to part with Osmand, whose development they see as integral to their own future planning. That stance immediately raises the stakes. To tempt Celtic into even considering a sale would require a compelling offer, both financially and in terms of the player’s pathway.

So the picture is clear but far from settled. Celtic are juggling the courtship of Robbie Keane with a decision on how to retain Martin O’Neill’s influence. Rangers are pushing to prise Skoglund out of Sweden to reinforce a key position. West Ham, recalibrating after relegation, are knocking on doors in Edinburgh and Glasgow in search of the right pieces for a Championship promotion charge.

The Scottish game, once again, sits at the crossroads of ambition on both sides of the border. The only question now is which club lands its targets first – and which is left scrambling as the market hardens around them.