Tony Mowbray has admitted Blackburn Rovers may have to cash in on Celtic-linked goalkeeper Balazs Toth, even suggesting the Hungarian could be attracted by the prospect of Champions League football.
Celtic have identified the 28-year-old as a potential goalkeeping addition as Martin O’Neill continues to strengthen his squad before the transfer window closes.
Toth has entered the final year of his Blackburn contract and has so far rejected the Championship club’s attempts to secure him on fresh terms.
He started their opening-day 2-2 draw against newly-relegated Wolves at Molineux, where Raul Jimenez’s controversial late penalty denied Mowbray’s side all three points.
Asked about Toth’s future after the game, former Celtic boss Mowbray admitted he had even received calls from agents suggesting the goalkeeper was set to leave.
He told the Lancashire Telegraph: “I don’t know is the answer.
“You probably know how the layers in our football club work, and football coaches, football managers, don’t need to know if one of your players is going to get sold.
“I don’t know. I’ve had agents phoning me up at quarter to eleven last night, telling me that you need a goalie, and I’m going, why do I need a goalie? They said, because your goalie’s getting sold.
“It’s a little bit frustrating that I’m getting told at quarter to eleven, the night before a game, that my goalie’s getting sold. I laughed it off, but let’s wait and see.”
Mowbray then conceded Blackburn would have little choice but to sell if Toth remains unwilling to extend his stay.
He continued: “If people aren’t going to sign contracts, there’s a million footballers out there, you have to cash in.
“I don’t think it’s right that you invest in footballers, you give them contracts, and then for whatever reason, they go.
“That’s no criticism of Toth, if he doesn’t want to sign a new contract. In my opinion, he’s been offered a pretty substantial contract.
“He doesn’t want to sign it, he wants to move on, you have to cash in.
“I’m not here to criticise the football club, if they get the right deal for him, in his last year, we have to go and get some. There’s a million footballers out there; we’ll go and find another goalkeeper.
“Scoring goals, celebrating, loving it with the fans after you win matches, that’s what life’s about.
“If the goalie wants to go and do it somewhere else, and win cups and trophies and play in the Champions League, then who am I to tell him he shouldn’t do that? Good luck to him.”
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