Ivan Toney has confirmed that he got as far as speaking to Neil Lennon about a summer move from Peterborough to Celtic.
With a year left on his contract the League One outfit were desperate for a transfer with contact between the two clubs established when Gavin Strachan moved to Celtic as first team coach.
Bringing in a striker was a transfer priority for Celtic with speculation over Odsonne Edouard leaving and Leigh Griffiths coming back from Lockdown badly out of shape.
In the end Toney signed for Brentford where he has netted 28 goals in 37 Championship appearances. Celtic opted for Albian Ajeti who has completed one full match since his £5m move from West Ham in August.
The Sun reports:
Asked about Celtic’s move the prolific ace told Four Four Two: “Yeah, that was close. I spoke to a few people there and I spoke to the manager, but just couldn’t get a deal over the line.”
The failure to sign Toney will forever be associated with Peter Lawwell’s transfer activities, similar to the decision to go for Vasilis Barkas rather than strike a deal for David Marshall or Fraser Forster.