Celtic have rejected a bid from West Ham for midfielder Arne Engels, with manager Martin O’Neill saying the offer fell far short of the club’s valuation. O’Neill also confirmed Everton have made contact over full-back Alistair Johnston, underlining Celtic’s challenge of retaining key players while strengthening their squad.

Engels, 22, previously attracted a £25m offer from Nottingham Forest in February, while Johnston, 27, joined Celtic in January 2023 and has become a regular for Canada. Celtic have already sold Daizen Maeda to Ipswich Town this summer and signed forwards Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran; O’Neill said replacements would be difficult if further departures occur.