Long running Celtic transfer tale is revived

Once again Celtic have been linked with an interest in James McCarthy.

Interest dates back to his days at Hamilton more than a decade ago and follows a fairly predictable pattern with stories about how the midfielder is a Celtic fan.

In August 2016 there was a real frenzy of speculation that McCarthy was wanted by Brendan Rodgers but he remained at Everton until moving to Crystal Palace three years later.

The Daily Mail reports:

Crystal Palace midfielder James McCarthy is a target for Scottish champions Celtic. The Republic of Ireland international is out of contract in the summer and Celtic are interested in signing him on a pre-contract as they weigh up an end-of-season overhaul for their squad.

McCarthy, 30, has a number of options building up though with other Premier League clubs recognising he could prove a good addition as a free agent.

McCarthy’s support for Celtic isn’t in any doubt but since breaking a leg in January 2018 he hasn’t had regular football, at Palace he has started 21 EPL matches, came on as a substitute in 19 and has still to score a goal.

With his contract expiring in the summer there are bound to be a number of EPL clubs interested in signing the midfielder who has eight years experience of the English game.

An overhaul of the Celtic squad is expected in the summer with Scott Brown turning 36 while Ryan Christie and Olivier Ntcham enter the final 12 months of their contracts.

It seems unlikely that a 30-year-old with recent injury issues would be part of a new look Celtic, with a managerial review expected to be completed next week it is looking increasingly likely that there will be no or minimal transfer business completed this month.