Preston North End have confirmed that they have been notified by Celtic of their interest in Ben Davies with the hoops able to agree a pre-contract deal with the central defender.
Celtic have been linked with Davies since the summer transfer window with their defensive options reduced by the injury to Chris Jullien and likely summer departure of Kris Ajer.
Bournemouth have been regularly linked with Davies but can’t put a contract in front of the 25-year-old with Preston not keen to do business with a club in their own division.
Preston are unable to stop their player talking to Celtic but a fee would be required in the SPFL champions were to bring forward his arrival rather than wait till the close season.
This afternoon The Lancashire Post reports:
Celtic notified PNE via email on Tuesday evening that they intended speaking to Davies about a pre-contract agreement which could see move to Parkhead in the summer on a Bosman. With Davies in the last six months of his contract, he can speak to clubs outside England about a move at the end of the season.
Reports in Scotland suggest that Celtic might in fact try to buy the central defender during this window. That might be because they fear missing out on Davies should bids come in from other clubs before Monday’s transfer deadline.
Neil has not spoken with Davies about Celtic’s interest specifically but has talked to him regularly about his general position. At this stage, Neil believes 25-year-old Davies will see his contract through to the end of the season.
However, he acknowledges that things could change very quickly with the deadline coming up. Speaking on Wednesday morning, Neil told the Lancashire Post: “I haven’t really heard anything (about Celtic) apart from what was in the paper.
“Ben hasn’t said a word to me about it. He has been good all the way through, this has only just appeared. As far as I’m aware from the discussions I’ve had before with Ben, he has so far committed to certainly being here to at least the end of the season.
“That has been the discussion I’ve had to this point, naturally that is subject to change but I’ve not been made aware of any change. I’m not in control of this situation so it is a hard question for me to answer. I could say, ‘Yes, he will be here until the end of the season’ and then he leaves tonight and I look silly.”
Davies came through the ranks at Preston, after a couple of loan spells he has now made more than 130 appearances in The Championship. Last January Celtic and Preston agreed a deal that saw Scott Sinclair join the Championship side.
UPDATE: Celtic will look to buy Preston’s Ben Davies in this window – if they can agree terms with the player.
They contacted Preston today, out of courtesy, to update them on their progress with Davies.
It’s a fast-moving situation, with Bournemouth also very keen on him. https://t.co/wsSCSXgOzP
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) January 26, 2021