Hoops want SPL-based marksman to lead them back to the Premier League at the first attempt next season.
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Championship favourites Queens Park Rangers appear to have beaten off top-flight competition in the race to land prolific Glasgow Celtic front man Gary Hooper, according to reports in the Mail on Sunday.
The in-demand Englishman has been the subject of much interest all year long after a series of fine displays up front for the Scottish Premier League (SPL) giants since arriving in the east end of Glasgow from Scunthorpe United for just £2.4 million in July 2010.
And since then, the 25-year-old has managed to hit the back of the net on 82 occasions in just 137 matches overall in all competitions for the SPL champions, including an equally impressive 63 strikes in only 95 league encounters for Neil Lennon’s men.
As a result, a whole host of Premier League clubs have been closely monitoring Hooper’s situation at Celtic Park, with both Norwich City and Hull City understood to have expressed an interest in bringing the centre forward south of the border now that the summer transfer window has finally reopened for business.
However, surprisingly it now looks as though Harry Redknapp has stolen a march on those two sides and is on the verge of sealing a £5m transfer for the forward.