‘I wanted’ - Rangers and Hearts admission amid ‘intensified’ claim

The latest transfer talk around the Scottish Premiership.

Hearts are off the mark with their first win of the new Scottish Premiership season after putting two past St Johnstone last Saturday. New recruits Calem Nieuwenhof and Frankie Kent started the match, while Kyosuke Tagawa and Alex Lowry both came off the bench for some action as well.

There’s still time for Hearts to add more new players to their roster but the rest of the league will also be eyeing up options to bolster their own squads. Here are some of the latest updates as we head into the new season.

Beale on Lowry loan

Lowry has officially gotten his Jambos era underway after coming off the bench in the second half against St Johnstone for a 30-minute run out in their first match of the Premiership season. Hearts agreed terms with Rangers to sign the highly-rated midfielder on loan until the end of the season.

Gers boss Michael Beale mentioned Lowry during his post-match press conference after his side’s Champions League qualifier win over Servette this week and briefly discussed the rising star’s future as a player under him.

“Alex Lowry is there to play regular football at Hearts, he has to earn his opportunity to play there and I think it is a good fit for him to get experience,” he said. “I wanted him to be close to home. This is a loan to come back.”

Rangers eyeing cut-price fee for defender

Speaking of Rangers, they’re in talks with more signings this summer and a recent report from Football Insider claims that they have set their sights on Millwall’s Jake Cooper. The 28-year-old is now into the final year of his contract with the English club and he could well be available to sign for a cut-price fee, to avoid him leaving for nothing next summer.

The Gers have reportedly held a ‘long-term interest’ in Cooper and that has since ‘intensified’ with contact between the two clubs now officially made over a potential deal.