Celtic are ready to make a move to bring Sean Longstaff to the club from Newcastle United, according to The Evening Chronicle.

What's the word?

Steven Gerrard's arrival has sparked a new lease of life into the Old Firm rivalry for Rangers and Celtic, with Brendan Rodgers' former Liverpool skipper leading the Ibrox side to vast improvements - and the fight for success could be replicated in the transfer market.

The Evening Chronicle reports that Celtic figures were in attendance for Newcastle United's U23 side this week as they plot a move for the 20-year-old former Kilmarnock loanee, whom the same paper reported was a Rangers target back in January.

Longstaff eventually joined Blackpool and it was anticipated Rangers would revive their interest in the summer but that did not come to pass, which has allowed Celtic the opportunity to steal a march on their arch-rivals in the transfer market.

Should Rangers be worried?

Losing a transfer target to arch-rivals Celtic would usually be a cause of concern for Rangers but fans should not be worried about the latest links, as enough has changed for their club in the past few months to significantly alter the picture.

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Gerrard's arrival would have led to changes in the club's transfer targets and the midfielder was clearly not deemed to be a player that Rangers immediately require, although he will regreat it if he doesn't keep tabs on the 20-year-old.

Longstaff could prove to be the ideal addition at the end of the season when Rangers see their midfield ranks depleted following the end of Ovie Ejaria and Lassana Coulibaly's loan spells in the summer.

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