Celtic want to do business this summer but what they can do in the transfer market will all depend the lay of the land come July/August.
Neil Lennon has reiterated his desire to keep both Southampton loanees at the club this summer. We’ve looked into things at St Mary’s at the minute, and there are a few things going in our favour which could see one or both stay in some capacity.
Speaking on the Transfer Podcast, Duncan Castles made it clear Southampton have big financial problems. Here are the bullet points from the podcast:
- Southampton have just taken out a loan to keep the doors open
- Open to bidders for the club
- Looking to sell some of their most valuable players
- Desperately need to reduce the wage bill
Here’s what we know about both players Celtic are chasing as reported by Spotrac.
Forster’s deal is around £3.6m per year, an astronomical amount for a goalkeeper who was playing in their reserves.
Moi Elyounoussi is on around £3.1m per year and looks surplus to requirements.
With Forster, there’s an acceptance the player is open to a reduced wage deal. There’s no sign Moi would be likely to do that to force a move to Celtic.
Their wages mean both are high on the list of players Southampton would want to get off the books but they would still demand a high fee in relative terms to the Scottish Champions.
Celtic have to cut their own cloth and can’t afford a large fee and wage bill. A loan deal would suit Celtic down to the ground.
The key to the two deals is how much interest there is in either player. If Celtic are the only club looking at one or both, they’re in a great position. If they find themselves up against a couple of lower table Premier League clubs it’s going to be difficult.
