Celtic transfer latest: Exit-bound ace 'agrees' terms at Euro club as Tottenham plot Hoops starlet raid
Here are some of the latest transfer headlines when it comes to Celtic
Ths international break is taking centre stage this week but transfer news continues to bubble away in the background with Celtic close to losing one key defender.
Manager Brendan Rodgers is expecting a busy summer window and it’s expected he will have to fend off interest in a number of his players including the likes of Daizen Maeda, Nicolas Kuhn and Reo Hatate who have all been linked with moves south of the border.
Fan favourite Kieran Tierney will return to his boyhood club later this month from Arsenal after agreeing a pre-contract in January and more new signings are expected to follow suit. In the meantime, here are the latest rumours:
How Kieran Tierney return will boost Celtic
Peter Grant insists the returning Kieran Tierney has proven he can fill a number of different positions for Celtic next season as he paid tribute to Greg Taylor, who is on the verge of departing the club this summer as a free agent.
He told Sky Sports: “I’m really looking forward to seeing him back in a Celtic shirt, but I must give Greg Taylor credit. He’s been outstanding at full-back. He’s been fantastic, very underrated, there’s no doubt about that. But Kieran gives you something different, a different type of player.
“He can play in numerous positions now. I think he’s learned that. He’s played centre-back, but overlaps as much as anyone. He’s very confident, a strong defender, great one-v-one and that’s only a positive for Celtic. But that’s meaning no disrespect to Greg because he’s been outstanding also.”
Greg Taylor ‘reaches’ transfer exit decision
Taylor is reportedly edging towards the Parkhead exit door with Greek outlet Sportdog claiming the left-back has agreed terms on a two-year deal plus the option of an additional year with Super League side PAOK.
The out-of-contract Scotland international is expected to bring his six-year stay at the Hoops to an end with reports in Greece suggesting a deadline had been set the player to accept the club’s contract proposal.
Both parties are claimed to have reached a verbal agreement over a financial package, with the Thessaloniki-based outfit eyeing a title tilt after finishing third last season. However, the source adds that Taylor still needs to sit down and discuss the move across the continent with his family, with his partner having only given birth to a baby daughter in February.
It’s suggested PAOK are ‘prepared to go the extra mile’ to ensure Taylor and his family feel welcomed in Greece.
Tottenham plotting Hoops academy raid
Celtic are facing up to the prospect of losing one of their brightest youth players to the English Premier League again with Tottenham Hotspur set to snap up teenager Conall Glancy.
The Scottish champions are said to be ‘bracing themselves’ for renewed interest in the teenager from down south, with a number of top-flight clubs keeping tabs on the emerging Lennoxtown talent.
It’s a well trodden path that Glancy could follow, with Celtic having previously let a number of academy graduates slip through their fingers in recent years, including Ben Doak, Rocco Vata and Daniel Kelly all moving on after limited first-team opportunities.
And highly-rated youngster Glancy’s rapid development hasn’t gone unnoticed with Spurs lining up a professional contract. It’s expected that Celtic will struggle to compete with the North London club’s financial muscle.