Ben Davies is to undergo a medical at Liverpool this morning with an up front fee of just £500,000 on its way to Preston North End.
Neil Lennon has admitted that Celtic were interested in the defender but that was largely in response to a claim from Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports that the player had signed a pre-contract agreement.
According to Sky Sports, Celtic were planning to put in a formal offer to Preston today but with Liverpool wracked by injuries in central defence involving Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez they have moved in tie up a deal with the player and his club.
Sky Sports report:
Preston defender Ben Davies is due to have a medical on Monday morning ahead of his Deadline Day transfer to Liverpool. The Premier League champions agreed a deal for the 25-year-old centre-back on Sunday which will see them pay the Championship side just £500,000 up front.
Preston could receive add-ons totalling up to £1.1m during the course of Davies’ time at Liverpool, and will also claim 20-per-cent of any profit the Reds make on selling him. Jurgen Klopp’s side have decided to sign cover for their defensive injuries and are keen on Davies given the simplicity and affordability of the deal.
Davies has just six months remaining on his Preston contract, meaning he been free to speak to clubs outside England this month. Celtic thought they were in prime position to sign him on a free transfer in the summer but were aware of interest from other clubs and had been ready to agree a cut-price deal this month.
The Scottish champions were due to submit an offer to Preston on Monday, while Bournemouth were also keen on signing Davies along with his team-mate Ben Pearson, who joined the Cherries from Preston last week.
The failure to sign Davies follows a pattern with Alfie Doughty leaving Charlton for Stoke City and Ben Pearson leaving Preston for Bournemouth. As a non-English club Celtic could have struck pre-contract deals on January 1.
Celtic do seem close to signing Jonjoe Kenny on loan from Everton which would allow Kris Ajer to move into central defence with the loan signing slotting in at right-back.
