Celtic has dismissed any notion that Reo Hatate will be sold in this transfer window and have knocked back a £10m from a French side.
That news is from the well informed sportswriter Stephen McGowan at Daily Mail reporting this evening that the Scottish Champions have turned down a £10m bid from a Ligue 1 side for the Japan international playmaker.
Hatate’s value will soar if he can keep himself fit after enduring a hellish season last year with a number of frustrating injuries that saw him sidelined for much of the season. Brendan Rodgers now is seeing the player shine in his Celtic midfield and Hatate may take an even more prominent role with Matt O’Riley moving to Brighton earlier this week with Celtic receiving a £26m fee, with various add-ons to come.
Hatate a year from now could be worth even more than Celtic received for Matt, although Reo is a couple of years older.
Meanwhile Mikey Johnston has apparently said his goodbyes to his Celtic teammates at Lennoxtown as they prepare for the Glasgow Derby against theRangers at Celtic Park on Sunday. Celtic has accepted three separate bids for Johnston – from Sheffield United, Burnley and West Brom where Mikey had a successful loan spell last season.
NEW: Albion are waiting on decision for Mikey Johnston for permanent switch. Rivals are Burnley. Fee of £3million agreed. Personal terms (long deal) not issue. Decision w/ player who is making mind up imminently. NOT related to Fellows. #wba https://t.co/uiIiv5HAJG
— Lewis Cox (@LewisCox_star) August 28, 2024
Sheffield United’s price has been reported at £2.5m with the other two at £3m. West Brom has financial issues but apparently it’s a ‘long deal’ with the fee being paid in instalments. That’s if Mikey decides to go back to The Hawthorns. The decision is now his but what is a certainty this evening is that his time at Celtic is over.
Celtic today increased their offer for both Arne Engels and Auston Trusty with the bids now at £10m and £5.5m respectively. However Celtic might have to go that little bit further to secure both signings, as the impact of the massive income from the Matt O’Riley sale appears to be impacting on asking prices.
The day started with Alex Valle arriving at Celtic Park to complete his season long loan deal from Barcelona. Valle will provide long overdue competition for Greg Taylor at left-back and surely when the window closes Michael Nicholson will address Taylor’s contract status with the current deal due to expire at the end of this season.
🇵🇱 | 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙪𝙨𝙯 𝘽𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙯 – 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 ❌
Celtic will NOT be pursuing a move for Mateusz Bogusz.
The transfer has fallen through as Celtic pursue other targets, believed to be Arne Engels.
[@wlodar85] pic.twitter.com/YpPIvfRfjE
— Everything Celtic (@aboutceltic) August 28, 2024
Celtic has also given up on trying to sign Polish midfielder Mateusz Bogusz from Los Angeles FC and instead could look closer to home with Dundee captain Luke McCowan being the obvious candidate. Dundee have knocked back various bids for their captain, including a £750k offer from Hibs, but Celtic can comfortably meet Dundee’s asking price.
The transfer window closes at 11pm on Friday evening, expect some more twists, turns and tales of the unexpected. Then and only then can we all ‘calm doon’.
