The Celtic goalkeeper situation has seen a whole host of names linked as potential replacements for Joe Hart at Parkhead.
Hart has now retired from the game and is enjoying some well-deserved rest; however, the hunt for his successor is ongoing, and there is plenty of speculation dominating the headlines.
Southampton stopper Alex McCarthy, free agent Kenan Piric, Aston Villa youngster Viljami Sinisalo and Queens Park Rangers veteran Asmir Begovic have all been mentioned in passing.
Whatever direction of travel Celtic choose, one thing Hart proved here is that you can land a solid goalkeeper without spending a colossal amount of money in the market.
Nevertheless, Peter Grant has now put forward a transfer suggestion that would be bound to cost Celtic a pretty penny, in terms of wages at least.
Peter Grant floats an ambitious Celtic transfer suggestion
Speaking live on The Go Radio Football Show, Grant has floated former Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea as someone the club could consider taking a look at this summer amid his status as a free agent.
He explained: “I’ve got to throw one out there. I look at David de Gea, he’s been training non-league in England. And I’m thinking ‘there’s someone like David de Gea there, a club like Celtic, European football. Would that excite him?
“Okay, it will cost you a few shillings. But if he’s not going to the likes of Saudi Arabia, because no doubt that’s where he’d get the most money. But if he’s taken a year out and all of a sudden wants to get back: big nights at Celtic Park, eight Champions League matches. Would that be something that excites him?
“But that’s somebody I’d be looking at. That’s the sort of personality you’re probably going to have to replace Joe Hart with.”
Why David De Gea to Celtic is unlikely to ever be realistic
On the face of it, a move for De Gea would be a statement of intent and then some. Over his 12-year stay at Manchester United, he racked up 545 appearances, keeping 190 clean sheets in the process [Transfermarkt].
Nevertheless, he has spent a season out of the game and was reported to be earning a weekly pay packet of £375,000 at Old Trafford, which would be an astronomical amount for most teams in the world to cover [ESPN].
Celtic couldn’t afford that, and even if they were willing to bend their wage structure to a certain degree, it wouldn’t be worth forking out such an eye-watering amount on one player.
No free transfer is actually what it says on the tin in that respect, meaning the Bhoys will look elsewhere to source their Hart replacement.