Greek website SDNA are reporting that Celtic are keen to sign goalkeeper Vassilis Barkas from AEK Athens.
A very similar story emerged from another Greek site, Sportime in October with the SDNA report covering very similar ground.
As everyone knows Fraser Forster’s loan deal from Southampton has expired, Celtic would like the keeper back either on loan or in a permanent deal but there are a number of obstacles to that happening.
Forster has the comfort of two years remaining on a contract that he signed in 2017 as an England squad keeper after Southampton had paid £12m for the keeper in 2014 from Celtic.
Like the Celtic board, Southampton like to get full value from assets which means that Neil Lennon will have to explore other options until the Saints board decide that they will take up an offer from Celtic.
Picking up on the October report from Sportime and a Scottish based publisher with little record on Celtic transfers SDNA reports:
The Scottish newspaper “The Scotsman” wrote that Barkas is on the list of 11 goalkeepers that Celtic “sees”.
In reality, however, the Greek international goalkeeper is much higher and specifically in the 3 goalkeepers that Sport Director, Nick Hammond, is currently examining, from whose hands … all the transfer moves of the club are being filtered.
There are so many variables about next season it is hard to believe that Celtic are preparing a 6 million euro bid for Barkas as the report later claims.
Hammond and everyone else involved in Celtic recruitment will be holding conversations to keep upto date with dozens of players but no-one knows what the 2020 transfer window will look like.
The 2019 value of players could now be halved, hundreds of players across Europe will be out of contract this month, not all of them will be joining Celtic!
