Celtic want to secure their first major summer signing and recent form could drive down price tag of €18m defender

Ideally you want to have an option to buy included in any loan deal, as it gives you a base to work from if you want to make the move permanent.

You’re still free to offer a lower offer to begin with if the initial price tag doesn’t represent value for money, but Celtic don’t have that option with Diego Laxalt.

HITC have indicated that Celtic are looking to find a way to make his loan move from AC Milan permanent, but it’s an extremely delicate situation for man that Milan paid €18m for.

He’s found himself out of the team lately as Greg Taylor has impressed in the same role, so that drop off in form brings a pretty obvious pro and con.

On the bright side it means that Milan won’t be able to demand a huge fee for him and it could even prevent any competition from other clubs driving up the price, but it also makes you wonder if Celtic should actually want to make it permanent unless the deal is right.

He’s proven himself to be a tenacious defender and he was often one of the brighter lights in some of the European games, but his positioning can be suspect so that opens up his flank and exposes the left sided centre back.

If we look back to when we spoke to our colleagues at Sempre Milan in October, they felt Milan would be looking for around €10m to let him go but that was during a time when he was playing his best football.

That kind of transfer fee would be bordering on a club record for Celtic so there’s no way that he’s worth that much, but it could also come down to who’s in charge next season too.

He’s proven that he’s a good player and his versatility to play anywhere up the left flank could be useful to a manager who trusts him, but it will also depend on the finances.

If Celtic can find a way to get another loan deal or a permanent deal at a reasonable price and they believe he can find his best form again then that would be ideal, but it will need to be a fraction of the €18m that Milan paid in the first place.