Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, and Burnley are among the clubs said to be interested in the striker

The January transfer market is already open, and Celtic and Rangers supporters are eager to see what business their clubs will conduct at this early stage.

Before the transfer season officially began, Philippe Clement secured Wolves forward Fabio Silva on loan, and the Hoops are currently linked with a number of players, including Nottingham Forest defender Scott McKenna and Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski. The champions are now apparently prepared to join their Glasgow rivals in seeking a transfer for one of the Scottish Premiership’s standout performers this season.

Celtic are reportedly ‘seeking to make a bid’ for Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland, who has 18 goals this season and has been frequently linked with a move to Ibrox. Rodgers is thought to be a fan of the 28-year-old, and the club is now ‘considering’ a January bid.

However, there looks to be more to the story, and a number of clubs from across the border are thought to be considering their own bids, which is logical given the Scotland international’s goal scoring prowess this season. The outlet names seven clubs from both the English Premier League and the EFL Championship.

They include Sean Dyche’s Everton and Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace, as well as other Premier League clubs Burnley and Sheffield United. Southampton, Middlesbrough, and Hull City are rumored to be interested from the English second division.

Interestingly, the same article claims that Rangers ‘were’ interested in signing Shankland, but that their signing of Fabio Silva is considered as an alternative to the Hearts captain.

Several reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Ibrox club is still interested in Shankland, though a summer deal is believed to be more likely at this point – providing he is still available.

Nottingham Forest are open to any and all offers for Scott McKenna, who has apparently been handed permission to depart this month

Brendan Rodgers is on the lookout for defensive reinforcements for the second half of the season. Nat Phillips has quietly returned to Liverpool following an underwhelming loan spell, while sources suggest that Gustaf Lagerbielke is on his way out.

Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales are the established starting two, but none of the possibilities behind them have yet totally impressed Rodgers, and reports suggest Scotland defender McKenna might be the answer.

The Hoops are said to have made preliminary inquiries about his availability, and the latest from down south indicates that Forest’s response is likely to have been good.

Forest are ready to part ways, according to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, and are open to offers with McKenna’s contract scheduled to end in six months.

The Hoops are also thought to be interested in strengthening at left-back, with Tiago Araujo a long-term target, while it was reported on Wednesday that Liverpool had rejected bids from both the Hoops and Rangers for Owen Beck. Beck was an important player for Dundee in the opening half of the season, but he now returns south to cover for Andy Robertson at Anfield.

Elsewhere, it looks that there has been some movement on Nicolas Kuhn…though perhaps not in the direction that Celtic would prefer.

The 24-year-old has been considered as an alternative up front for Rapid Vienna, where he has three goals and seven assists this season. It’s expected that he’ll cost roughly £2m, but Fan.at in Austria believe he’ll cost more because he’s ‘only just begun’ to display his true ability this season.