Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's agent has confirmed he is in talks with Celtic over a possible move after the former Dutch international striker was shown the door by new Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate.

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan thinks even at 34, the former Chelsea and man can replace departed John Hartson.

But Humphry Nijman will know in the next 24 hours whether the Hoops can afford the player's reported £40,000-a-week salary - as three Premiership clubs wait to pounce.

"Celtic have showed an interest and now we are speaking further," Nijman said today. "The fact is if a club wants a player and if the player wants to go then we start to talk.

"He thinks Celtic are very interesting, a fantastic club with a great stadium and supporters.

"We all know Celtic are one of the biggest clubs in the world and now we will be speaking to see if a move is possible, but we haven't reached an agreement so far.

"They have to make clear whether they are in a position to sign him.

"There are three Premier League teams in for him so we have to find out one way or the other. Hopefully a decision will be made by tomorrow morning."

Celtic, who away on tour in Poland, have also been linked with a swap deal with want-away Bulgarian midfielder Stilian Petrov and Manchester City star Joey Barton.

Meanwhile Rangers manager Paul Le Guen has called up new signings Libor Sionko and Karl Svensson to the squad for the pre-season trip to South Africa.

Both players were involved in the World Cup, Sionko with the Czech Republic and Svensson with Sweden, and had probably hoped for a longer holiday after leaving Germany.

But new Ibrox boss, Le Guen, insists it is crucial the newcomers have time to gel with their new team-mates.

"I want Sionko and Svensson to integrate with the squad in South Africa," he said. "It is important they get to know the rest of the players and their partners on the field and that is why I took this decision."