Celtic are reportedly leading the race to secure the signatures of Plymouth Argyle forwards Lorent Tolaj and Bim Pepple ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window…
Celtic reportedly shopping for strikers in EFL League One
The attacking pair have impressed in EFL League One this campaign, combining for 29 goals so far, with Tolaj responsible for 18 of that tally. The 24-year-old joined Plymouth from Port Vale in a £1.2 million deal last summer, while Pepple arrived from Luton Town for an initial fee of £250,000.
Both players also have previous experience in Scotland, with Pepple spending time on loan at Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2024 and Tolaj having a loan spell at Dundee in 2023.
According to the Daily Mail, their performances have attracted interest from several English sides, as well as Celtic, who believe they could land the duo for a relatively modest fee.
Pepple is also drawing attention from clubs abroad, including Turkish outfit Goztepe and MLS sides Minnesota United and CF Montreal. The 23-year-old has been in outstanding form, netting eight goals in his last nine appearances and his displays have reportedly caught the eye of Jesse Marsch in the Canadian national team setup.
Both strikers were on target twice in Argyle’s emphatic 5-2 victory over League One promotion hopefuls Cardiff City at the weekend, a result that has strengthened Tom Cleverley’s side’s push for a play-off place.
Excitement growing for Glasgow Derby double header at Ibrox
Meanwhile, next weekend’s Scottish Cup Glasgow Derby showdown is expected to generate more than £2.5 million in ticket sales. It has now been confirmed that Celtic supporters will be housed in the entire Free Broomloan Stand, restoring a full allocation for the first time in eight years.
The Ibrox club have released ticket pricing details, with adult tickets set at £53 and concession tickets priced at £43. According to Scotland Coefficent on X, overall match-day revenue is projected to exceed the £2.5 million mark.
Under Scottish Cup regulations, the visiting side is entitled to 37 per cent of the gate. As a result, Celtic are expected to receive more than £925,000 from the fixture.
🔵🍀 At £53 for adults and £43 for juniors, the Scottish Cup tie will probably result in the largest sum of money to ever be exchanged between Rangers and Celtic.
🎟️ Estimated gate receipts of over £2.5m, from which Celtic take about 37% under SFA rules
💰 Over £925,000! pic.twitter.com/dkNFv6uqWe
— Scotland’s Coefficient (@scotlandscoeff1) February 23, 2026
Conor Spence
Introducing The Celtic Star App and our new ad-free Premium Service...
Go ad-free on The Celtic Star, get a FREE trial period to try it out. Also download our new App – available for both Apple and Android – and get the best Celtic content on your phone without fighting through pop-up ads and being forced to watch videos.
Our new PREMIUM service comes with a free seven-day trial so you can look before you book. If you are happy to continue the price will be just 99p per month or £9.99 for the year. For that you get an AD-FREE SITE plus access to our premium content, and you’ll also help us make The Celtic Star even better and less reliant on advertising revenues, allowing us to be more focused on publishing the best Celtic features on the internet.
Click HERE to access your FREE trial. We think you’ll like it! We’re Obsessed with Celtic and we think you are too! Join us hand in hand...
Plymouth Argyle?
Oh dear.
Plymouth Argyle—–I’m shaking in my boots with excitement , Quick—-Where’s the Valium ? If this is true , it ties-in with Celtic’s policy over the past two decades , ” If they are cheap enough , they must be good enough ” . Another two ,” Bargain-basement Duds “.
Don’t shout this from the rooftops , Conor —–We are in enough shit at the moment !!!!!