CELTIC have been rebuffed in their pursuit of Mark McKenzie. The Philadelphia Union defender has been linked with the club as they pursue a central defender and whilst the news of Bolingoli’s protocol breach was breaking, the news that Celtic had held talks with McKenzie went unnoticed.
Speaking to the Daily Record, Philly’s Ernst Tanner said that the MLS club had rejected the approach from Celtic. However, he did admit that would be open to picking up discussions about McKenzie, but only after the return of the MLS season.
“We have had interest. There was a talk with Celtic, but I told them: We were not willing to talk before the [MLS in Back] tournament or during the tournament, but maybe then later on.
“Will they come back? That is not in my obligation. That is up to Celtic. There is obviously a little bit of an interest, but there are so many players in the market at the moment.
“We have a situation where we don’t need to sell because we also have goals as a club.
“We do not have a club policy. But everyone has objectives. We have a competitive team in our league and that’s quite a strong argument for us.
“You know American players, in general. It is their dream to go to Europe and that is okay.
“But, when you do a transfer, all sides have to come under one hat and that’s the critical point.
“I cannot speak for Celtic. I might think the interest (is serious), but as I said, there are so many players out there. It is not only Mark, but he’s an interesting asset.
“He is probably the most interesting prospect in our country in terms of defending. He is good.
“There is interest from a lot of clubs and I have already been talking to some. We are the last ones who are hesitant in these situations, but it needs to be suitable for everyone.”
McKenzie has a contract until 2022 with an option of a further two years meaning that should any deal transpire, Celtic would have to pay a fee to lure him away. However, as he is just 21-years-old, he may fancy a move to Europe with the prospect of Celtic offering him a platform to play in Europe and compete for trophies.
Celtic have previously signed two promising MLS starlets – Manny Perez and Andrew Gutman with the pair yet to feature. The MLS is becoming an emerging talent pool for Scottish clubs as they use their locality to South America to pick up promising talents. Homegrown talent like McKenzie are showcased in matches with certain quotas needing fulfilled of local players, allowing them to use their platform for a move to a bigger league.
