A “fantastic” Celtic player is seen as a transfer target for one of the biggest clubs in Europe, according to a fresh transfer update that has emerged regarding their summer business.
Celtic pull 16 points clear at the top
It proved to be another good weekend for Brendan Rodgers’ side in the Scottish Premiership title race, following an emphatic 5-2 victory away to St Mirren on Saturday.
Not only that, but Rangers also lost 2-1 at home to Motherwell, meaning Celtic have now opened up a 16-point lead at the top of the table. While the manager and his players won’t allow themselves to get carried away, they must also feel like they have one hand on yet another league troophy.
In terms of Hoops transfer news, Rodgers has confirmed that he will discuss a potential permanent move for loanee Jeffrey Schlupp, saying: “I’ll have a chat with Jeffrey towards the latter part of the season. It was the case of him coming in and settling and getting to understand how he plays. I think we can all see he has that Premier League physicality and quality.”
Meanwhile, Borja Sainz is a player who has been linked with a move to Celtic at the end of the season, having scored 15 goals in 30 appearances for Norwich City in the Championship this season. The Spaniard would provide additional firepower for the Scottish champions, and at 24, there is also still so much more to come from him.
Worrying Celtic exit rumour emerges
Now, according to InterLive.it [via Sport Witness], Inter Milan are interested in signing Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston this summer. The 26-year-old is seen as a “surprise name” on the Serie A champions’ list of transfer targets in that position, and there is belief that they could snap him up for around £8m.
Losing Johnston would be a big blow for Celtic, considering what a model of consistency he has been at right-back ever since arriving from CF Montreal in 2023. The Canada international has bagged four goals and seven assists in the Scottish Premiership this season, also averaging 2.4 clearances and 1.7 tackles per game across 25 appearances in the competition, showing what an effective all-round footballer he is.
Rodgers is clearly a big admirer of his full-back, too, saying of him back in November of last year: “He’s clearly a player we would want to tie down. He’s a fantastic guy to work with on and off the pitch, so hopefully in the future that can be the case.”
The hope is that Johnston feels settled at Parkhead, not wanting to move on any time soon, but his head could be turned by interest from a club of Inter’s stature.
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Should the Canadian want to leave, Celtic must make sure that they receive a healthy amount for his signature, however – £8m at a bare minimum – especially as his current deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2029.
