The transfer chat surrounding Celtic is really starting to ramp up ahead of the transfer window officially opening in Scotland tomorrow.
Brendan Rodgers is looking to add quality to his squad and in one position in particular, he is going to need it.
The retirement of Joe Hart has left a gaping hole in the Celtic team and with links to Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka ongoing, what could the Slovakian Euro 2024 first-choice goalkeeper cost Brendan Rodgers?
With a year left on his contract, Newcastle still hold a bit of bargaining power for the 35-year-old stopper. But with the Tyneside club needing to meet England’s Financial Fair Play [FFP] rules, could negotiations with the Premier League club be easier than we think?
To find out, I spoke with football finance expert Adam Williams about exactly how FFP rules in England could benefit Celtic’s potential pursuit of Dubravka and what he told me was very interesting.
Celtic could get Martin Dubravka for £1m
Dubravka has been at Newcastle since 2017 and has made 163 appearances for The Magpies. A season-long loan at Manchester United in 2022 saw the Slovakian make just two appearances before returning to St James’ Park.
But now, second in the pecking order behind Nick Pope, Dubravka has been told he can leave Newcastle and Williams explains how Celtic could get him for as little as £1m.
Williams said, “Newcastle’s cumulative losses over the last three years stand at £155m, well over the £105m threshold on paper.
“And while they complied with PSR in the previous three-year period because of PSR-deductible Covid add-backs and infrastructure spending, they are one of a handful of clubs for whom a possible breach is a real and present concern.
“I’d suggest that Newcastle will be far keener to get the likes of Dubravka off the books before 30th June than they would their blue-chip assets.
“If they can make up the PSR deficit with what they would consider less impactful sales, it will mean they are less likely to be held over the barrel in negotiations for their higher value assets.
“The only question is whether the English club think they have enough saleable players in the first bracket to justify making this their strategy.
“Either way, I suspect Dubravka, now 35, will not command a fee of more than £1m and won’t be a top priority for Newcastle’s negotiations team over the summer.
“That can only bode well for Celtic.”
The last time Celtic spent £1m on a goalkeeper it turned out to be an excellent piece of business. Joe Hart spent three seasons at Parkhead and won seven trophies.
If Celtic are successful in obtaining Dubravka and he can come in and be as successful as Hart was, then it would prove to be another piece of shrewd business by the club in the transfer market.