Aston Villa remain keen on Raskin - gossip

What the report says

BBC Sport Football’s gossip round-up says Aston Villa are still interested in Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin, with people close to the Belgium international reportedly expecting the Premier League to be his most likely move next year. The item adds that Rangers rejected a £12m bid from Hull City for the player during the summer, according to TeamTalk as cited by BBC Sport.

The report places that interest in the wider context of transfer speculation around Scottish football. It also notes that former Rangers loanee Bailey Rice, now at Kilmarnock, has impressed coach Kirk Broadfoot, who described the 20-year-old as someone who could become useful to his parent club. This part of the roundup highlights how several clubs are monitoring young players and loanees ahead of the next phase of the season.

Elsewhere, the BBC Sport piece says Celtic manager Martin O’Neill is expected to return to a back four against Motherwell, with the back-three system used in the Old Firm derby described as a one-off tactical response. The roundup also mentions Hearts’ teenagers Aron Benjaminsen and Leart Kabashi beginning to push for first-team opportunities after the international break, underlining a busy period for squad planning and player development across the Scottish Premiership.