Football: Scheidt set for pounds 5m Celtic move

THE BRAZILIAN international defender Rafael Felipe Scheidt is expected in Glasgow this evening for talks about his projected pounds 5m move to Celtic.

The 23-year-old Gremio centre-back has put on record his willingness to join the Parkhead club, but has still to agree personal terms, and his arrival remains subject to a work permit.

The Celtic head coach, John Barnes, revealed earlier this month that he has been tracking the player for several months after Scheidt first caught his eye on satellite television.

The Gremio president, Jose Alberto Guerrero, is confident that the transfer will be finalised before the end of the week now that Celtic appear to have satisfied the conditions for payment of a transfer fee.

It is understood that the player is seeking a German passport to avoid any delay in making his Celtic debut, should a deal be agreed this week.

A break would, however, suit Scheidt, who has just completed an arduous year in Brazilian football and had already agreed with Gremio that he would be given a month off.

The danger remains, however, that his permit application will need to go to an independent panel - as with Stilian Petrov's move from CSKA Sofia - because he does not satisfy every criteria, and that may prove to a lengthy process.

The Rangers chairman, David Murray yesterday confirmed that the Turkish international Tugay Kerimoglu will join the Ibrox club - with only the timing of the move still to be finalised.

The 29-year-old Galatasaray midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season, but with Turkey not being part of the EU the Bosman ruling will not apply. That means Rangers will still have to agree a probably nominal fee with the Istanbul side, but Murray, speaking on his club's official website, insists that Tugay has agreed to the switch, which is likely to take place this summer.

Murray said: "The player was here in Glasgow for talks. He came in on my private jet from Istanbul. We had signing talks and the player has agreed to join us, but we still have to decide when that will be.

"The medical aspects went well, as did the talks with the lad, who had been one of the players identified by Dick Advocaat over the past few months.

"If we wait until the summer then that is OK, because the agreement has now been reached. He will be our player."

Murray revealed that he will free additional funds to Advocaat to draft in more talent ahead of the next campaign in the wake of Rangers' European exit in Borussia Dortmund.

He added: "Neither Dick nor myself have hidden the fact we need more top quality players to compete at the very highest level and this is the first stage of our plans to freshen things up.

"We've accepted the criticism that came our way when we crashed out of both the Champions' League and the Uefa Cup and now we are strengthening our squad for the future."

Tugay returned to Turkey yesterday and told reporters that he had reached a verbal agreement with Rangers, but he thinks that further talks were needed between the Ibrox club and Galatasary.

He said: "We have come to an agreement in principle, the rest is up to the two clubs to sort out. No financial terms were discussed. That will be decided later."

The First Division strugglers Clydebank have been put up for sale by their owner, John Hall. The homeless Bankies, who share Greenock Morton's Cappielow ground, are bottom of the division.