According to Sky Sports, CELTIC has knocked back an official bid for Stephen Welsh.
Toulouse has been hot on the tail of the Scottish under-21 captain this summer, but the Hoops are reluctant to let go of Stephen.
Anthony Joseph writes the French club submitted an initial loan bid for the defender with a £3.5m option to buy clause. It’s been swiftly thrown out by the Scottish Champions.
UPDATE: Celtic have rejected a bid from Toulouse for defender Stephen Welsh.
It’s understood the fresh offer was for a season-long loan with an option to buy in the region of £3.5m, plus add-ons.
Celtic don't want to sell him as he is part of their first team plans. https://t.co/XtBjuTELhq
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) July 29, 2022
It might seem like a strange move that Toulouse is looking at Stephen Welsh on the face of things. However, with the swell of Scottish players in European leagues and deals like Aaron Hickey’s move to Serie A and then the Premier League in sharp focus, many clubs are now looking at the Scottish league as a real source of future talent.
Stephen is a back up defender for Celtic at the moment. Will he get enough game time in order to develop his game at Celtic? That remains to be seen.
Could a loan deal without an option to buy be beneficial for the centre-back? It might just be.
Incredibly generous offer for a very average player who isn’t 1st eleven or even squad material.
Doubt if that sort of money will be offered up again