Celtic linked star ‘would prefer’ Premier League move over Scottish champions

Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin is set to reject Celtic in favour of a move to a club in the Premier League, according to a recent report from Football Insider.

The Bhoys were thought to be interested in a move for Lunin in January, despite his contract being up in June 2024 - however, now, they may be forced to look elsewhere.

Why are Celtic interested in Andriy Lunin?

For Madrid, Lunin largely plays as a backup to Thibaut Courtois. So far this season, the Ukrainian international has made two appearances for Los Blancos, keeping a single clean sheet and conceding just one goal [via Transfermarkt].

He also has accumulated a strong save percentage over those two games, keeping out 88.9% of the shots he has faced [via FBref]. Aged just 24, his best years are still well ahead of him.

Do Celtic need a new goalkeeper?

Celtic currently have three goalkeepers in their senior team - Joe Hart, Scott Bain and Benjamin Siegrist. Of these three, Hart is generally considered as the Celts’ first-choice ‘keeper, having played in all but two of their competitive games so far this season (the other two saw Scott Bain play in the net).

However, the former Manchester City man is not getting any younger at the age of 36. It may be time for the Hoops to invest their future in a younger goalkeeper - especially as Hart’s contract is set to expire in the summer of 2024.

While Siegrist and Bain provide strong backup options, it seems that the Celtic hierarchy do not see either of them as long-term solutions to their plight between the sticks.

The Celts do not necessarily need depth in the goalkeeper position - but they do need to sign a young shot-stopper to be their new number one before it becomes a major issue in the squad.