CELTIC look set to seal a season-long loan deal to bring Ireland Internationalist defender Shane Duffy to the club. The Daily Mail’s Stephen McGowan revealed that the Scottish Champions were close to agreeing a deal for the Brighton defender, beating Premier League duo West Ham and West Brom to the signature of the central defender.
The clubs are thrashing out details and the report says that a deal is likely to be agreed during the week. Neil Lennon is in the market for a central defender with current options appearing quite thin – just Ajer, Jullien and Bitton remain as central defenders after Simunovic left the club.
The 28-year-old is a hardened pro and he would bring a degree of experience and leadership to the backline. Duffy has Premier League experience and would be an impressive signing for the club, allowing them the ability to play 3-5-2 when need be as well as rotating the backline. The added bonus for the club is that Duffy is a Celtic supporter and will know exactly what 10IAR means to the club and supporters.
Celtic would need to pay £2m in a loan deal fee as well as the majority of the Derry-born defender’s wages. The club might hope that Neil Lennon’s powers of persuasion would entice him into a move to Glasgow. Although the rumour is that the fee required is a mere £5m, which could be manageable when you consider it would be £2m in loan fee plus wages.
