A £14,000-a-week Celtic defender has dropped a fairly blatant exit hint regarding his future, suggesting he has played his final game for the Hoops.
Celtic transfer news
Brendan Rodgers will be looking to strengthen his squad as much as possible in the summer transfer window, ensuring that his side once again go all the way in the Scottish Premiership next season, but also make more of an impression in the Champions League.
One player who has been linked with a move to Celtic before the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign is Stuart Armstrong, who has recently helped Southampton earn promotion from the Championship to the Premier League. Rodgers is believed to be a big admirer of the midfielder, who is out of contract with Saints at the end of this month, and has won 44 caps for Scotland.
The retirement of Joe Hart has heightened the need for a new goalkeeper to join the Hoops in the near future, and Sparta Prague stopper Peter Vindahl Jensen is one rumoured option there. Liverpool ace Caoimhin Kelleher is also a target, with a potential £10m move being plotted, as he looks to be a No.1 elsewhere.
A reunion for former Celtic hero Kieran Tierney is being weighed up, too, according to certain reports, with the left-back seemingly allowed to leave Arsenal after fallen out of favour, having spent the 2023/24 season on loan Real Sociedad.
£14,000-a-week Celtic player hints at exit
Speaking to Fotbollskanalen [via Sport Witness], Gustaf Lagerbielke has admitted that he is looking forward to a new challenge away from Celtic this summer, suggesting his time at Parkhead has come to an end:
"I know that there are a number of teams that are interested, but not much more than that. There are interested teams in Italy and also other leagues.
"Very instructive. I have developed a lot and become a better player. I have brought a lot with me. I’m looking forward to the future and I think I’ll take a lot from Celtic to the next team I join. It is difficult to say anything before something is ready. I have a contract with Celtic, but it’s no secret that I want to play."
In truth, this summer does feel like the right time for Celtic to offload Lagerbielke, even though his current contract doesn't actually expire until the summer of 2028.
Just four Scottish Premiership starts came the £14,000-a-week defender's way in the whole of 2023/24, and a total of only seven appearances in the competition, while a move to Italian side Lecce failed to come to fruition during the January transfer window.
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The Hoops are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the shot-stopper this summer.
ByDan EmeryJun 10, 2024
Lagerbielke's contract situation does mean that Celtic can at least demand good money for the 24-year-old, rather than losing him on a free transfer or on the cheap, so it must now be a case of getting as much money as possible for him.
