I know for a fact they want to sell- Hartson’s update on key Celtic transfer deal

John Hartson wants Celtic to secure the permanent transfer of Cameron Carter-Vickers. 

The defender moved north on loan from Spurs in the final hour of the summer transfer window and has only missed one SPFL match since making the switch. 

Alongside Carl Starfelt the American internationalist has been at the heart of Celtic’s title push- playing together in every minute of the 15 SPFL matches since the new year. 

Some sort of permanent deal was agreed between Celtic and Spurs when the loan went through but the final decision will come down to what the player feels is best. 

At Celtic next season Carter-Vickers is almost assured of Champions League football shortly before the World Cup Finals kick-off which might carry more appeal than a bigger pay packet elsewhere and another settling in period following loan moves at Celtic, Bournemouth, Luton, Stoke and Swansea. 

Discussing the situation, Hartson told the Daily Record: 

I speak to people at Spurs and I know for a fact they want to sell Carter-Vickers. He’s been on loan four or five times and they feel he’s not going back to Spurs, so they want to do a deal with somebody. 

You can talk about the forwards, Jota, Liel Abada, Kyogo, whose numbers have been frightening. Joe Hart has been brilliant. But you’ve got to look at Carter-Vickers, he’s been the dominant one. Carl Starfelt has come onto a game, but he’s shown weaknesses and defensive frailties at times. 

It’s Carter-Vickers who has been that man-mountain alongside him and taken a lot of pressure off him. To do that for your other centre-half, I think he’s been outstanding. 

He would be as important a signing as Jota would be because we know that Celtic are a forward-thinking team, get on the front foot with a high intensity, press, and pressure. 

Celtic’s season finishes on Saturday, afterwards the guessing game begins with Jota and Carter-Vickers at the centre of the speculation.