'Everton eye Celtic's Johnston amid Patterson interest' - gossip

What the report says

BBC Sport Football’s latest Scottish football gossip roundup says Everton are being linked with Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston as uncertainty grows around Nathan Patterson’s future. Citing The Herald, the roundup reports that Patterson, Everton’s Scotland international full-back, has attracted notable interest from clubs in Germany, Italy and Spain, while Everton are preparing to step up interest in Johnston, the 27-year-old Canada international at Celtic.

The BBC item also gathers several Celtic-related transfer claims from other outlets and reporters. Midfielder Mika Baur is said to want a summer move from Paderborn to Celtic after agreeing personal terms, while separate reporting disputes Paderborn’s explanation that illness caused him to miss a friendly against Southampton. The roundup also says Marcelo Saracchi is close to joining Houston Dynamo after his Celtic loan from Boca Juniors, and that Atalanta wing-back Mitchel Bakker, previously linked with Celtic, is nearing a move to Marseille.

Rangers feature heavily in the roundup. Nadim Bajrami is reported to be likely to leave Ibrox soon, with a return to Italy described as the most probable route. John Souttar is also said to be set to depart, with Leicester City and Swansea City among the clubs leading interest, while Hull City have reportedly joined Rangers and Cardiff City in tracking Tromso midfielder Jens Hjerto-Dahl.

The report matters as Scottish Premiership clubs continue reshaping squads during the transfer window, but the BBC article is a gossip aggregation built on attributed external reports rather than confirmed club announcements. Other items include loan and trial developments involving Ross McCausland, Paul Nsio and Alfie Halliwell, plus Rangers’ appointment of former Brentford scout Mick Priest.