Celtic are yet to blink in the transfer window and fans are patiently waiting for progress on the recruitment front ahead of the new campaign.
There hasn’t been a shortage of links to potential targets, which will be touched on in detail later; however, it doesn’t appear that the Hoops are close to announcing any new arrivals.
Evidently, a measured approach has been adopted by Celtic rather than a scattergun one. That is all well and good, but it doesn’t help generate mass excitement going into pre-season.
Nevertheless, John Kennedy indicated last week that there could be movement soon, offering a crumb of comfort that pursuits are ongoing behind the scenes.
Movement on incomings is an inevitability; however, several irons in the fire could be subject to a waiting game.
Celtic play the waiting game in the transfer market
It is common knowledge that Celtic are in the process of trying to bring Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah back to Parkhead following their successful loan stints last term.
Honing in on Bernardo, the Bhoys have reportedly managed to whittle down the Portugal Under-21 international’s buyout clause of £6 million to a fee in the region of £3.5 million; nevertheless, there are concerns over their ability to match his annual salary.
Negotiations remain ongoing over a permanent deal. The same can be said for Republic of Ireland international Idah, though Norwich City boss Johannes Hoff Thorup is intent on evaluating the striker in pre-season.
That hasn’t stopped him from enjoying his holidays with Celtic veteran James Forrest, adding fuel to the fire as speculation runs into overdrive regarding a potential return to Glasgow’s east end.
Herediano forward Andy Rojas is another target for Celtic and could be available for as little as £800,000. On a different token, he is involved with Costa Rica at Copa America, meaning he probably won’t be available until they are eliminated from the tournament.
The Celtic goalkeeper hunt continues to make headlines
According to reports, talks remain in the balance between Celtic and Sparta Prague over Danish stopper Peter Vindahl Jensen. Claims suggest he could be the ‘number one’ option to succeed Joe Hart at Parkhead, but like the theme of this article, we may have to wait to find out.
Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka is also on the radar after being told he is free to leave the North East, and the Magpies’ goalkeeper merry-go-round that has resulted in John Ruddy joining to support the group could accelerate his exit alongside Slovakia’s Euro 2024 elimination at the hands of England [Newcastle United FC].
The deadline for Eddie Howe’s men to satisfy Profit and Sustainability regulations has passed; however, getting his wages off the books could still prove financially viable for the North East-based outfit.
Nevertheless, he is in a deadlock situation that is yet to be broken, forming one of many that require further work for Celtic before they can announce a summer signing.
