Brendan Rodgers decided to let the shareholder down gently but Filip Benkovic won’t be at Celtic next season.
Worst case scenario is that the defender could be recalled by Leicester City in January.
During the summer Leicester paid £13m to sign the young Croatian defender. Rafael Scheidt is the most expensive defender that Celtic have signed with £5m wasted on the Brazilian back in 1999.
At the current transfer inflation rate Benkovic would probably cost £18m next summer with about half that figure required for wages over a four year deal. A deal way too rich for Celtic’s budget.
Hopefully there are more than two European nights for Bekovic to enjoy, he can leave Celtic next summer with three domestic medals and some great memories, experiences that he may not repeat in his career.
Virgil van Dijk is the blueprint that he’ll be looking at.
A spell living under the pressures and demands of being a Celtic player, a season or two at a Leicester or Southampton followed by the jackpot move to a Champions League club.
Finding an equivalent to Benkovic is the task facing Celtic’s recruitment team, it won’t be easy but now and then there is a van Dijk or Victor Wanyama waiting to be discovered.
