Celtic have knocked back an approach from AEK Athens to take Vasilis Barkas back on a loan deal next season and the goalkeeper – a £4.5million signing last summer – has also rejected the approach to return to his homeland as he aims to prove his doubters wrong in Glasgow next season.
Respected Greek sports journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos, who last summer broke the news that Barkas was signing for Celtic, has provided an update this evening on developments and intriguingly he also revealed that Bournemouth had previously shown an interest in signing the Greek International keeper when you know who was the manager at the Vitality Stadium.
“According to our sources at Sportime Greece and Tasos Kapet story, AEK Athens contacted Celtic for Vasilis Barkas. On loan. Barkas at the moment doesn’t want to come back in Greece and Celtic didn’t consider a loan deal,” Chorianopoulos reports.
The Sport Time report gives some further details: “Vasilis Barkas has been playing for Celtic since last summer. And his career is not going very well…
“Vasilis Barkas left for Scotland last year and AEK a year later opens the file to acquire a goalkeeper in view of the new season. In fact, a significant preparation has already begun by the “yellow-blacks”. Pre-work that started in the January transfer window and is now continuing, with the addition of other executives to the scouting department.”