Celtic and Millwall have reached an agreement for the early release of midfielder Daniel Kelly with the English Championship side paying Celtic around £400,000 plus add-ons for the player.
Daniel Kelly of Celtic speaks with Brendan Rodgers, manager of Celtic Celtic v Dundee, Cinch Scottish Premiership, Football, Celtic Park, Glasgow, UK – 28 Feb 2024. Photo Mark Runnacles/Shutterstock
Kelly has already signed a pre-contract with Millwall and was scheduled to join them on 1st January 2025.
At that stage Millwall would have had to pay Celtic a cross-border development fee of around £275,000 for the Celtic Academy graduate who rejected a contract offer from the Scottish Champions in order to follow Rocco Vata in pursuing the development of his career in the second tier of the English pyramid.
However after negotiations between concluded a transfer fee was agreed and Kelly will now undergo his medical tomorrow ahead of the deal going through.
Daniel Kelly celebrates scoring Celtic v Dundee, Scottish Premiership, Football, Celtic Park, 28 February 2024 Photo Mark Runnacles/Shutterstock
Kelly had been linked with a move to Bayer Leverkusen, while Tottenham Hotspur, managed by the former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou, were credited with a interest, with the Spurs manager set to monitor Kelly’s progress at Millwall.
Both Rocco Vata and Daniel Kelly are Celtic supporters who have been at Celtic for many years. To lose both to the English second tier clubs, Watford and Millwall respectively, means that the causes of these developments have to be considered and lessons learned. Perhaps it’s a result of the clear pathway to the first team with an alternative of playing in the Lowland league?
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