Celtic are set to refuse an away allocation for the first derby fixture of the season against Rangers, it has been reported.

The Ibrox club offered 700 tickets to their rivals for the September 3 showdown, but it now looks likely the fixture will be played with no visiting supporters.

The Sun say that Celtic believes the 700 ticket allocation does not work and is a safety hazard for their fans and as a result they will hand back their briefs.

The report goes on to state that the Scottish champions have held discussions with various supporter groups who are in agreement with their stance.

Speaking in the close season, Rangers CEO James Bisgrove all but confirmed that the allocation would not be increasing from last season.

He said: "I think there’s a long way to go before that’s a realistic opportunity or consideration.

"To manage expectations then I would say that looks unlikely but we need to take it one step at a time.

"There are so many considerations in terms of the security operation getting two sets of supporters getting in and out of both stadiums.

"We want to make sure if our supporters go to Parkhead they’re protected and take our responsibility here so we have to be guided by the authorities and the clubs will also have a voice.

"As a minimum we’re going to be around the table and have dialogue with Michael [Nicholson] and Police Scotland over the summer months."