PETER LAWWELL is stalling on completing the signing of Kilmarnock left back Greg Taylor as the Celtic CEO is NOT prepared to meet the £3million asking price that Billy Bowie has quoted for his Scotland international.
Celtic seem to believe that Kilmarnock knocked back a £500k bid for Taylor earlier this summer, quoting the German side £1million.
Kilmarnock rumoured to have told Nuremberg Greg Taylor would cost £1m. We’ve been quoted £3m.
— Celtic Underground (@celticrumours) August 25, 2019
However Kilmarnock have full knowledge of Celtic’s £25million windfall from the sale of Kieran Tierney. They know that Celtic are under pressure from the support to bring in signings, particularly defenders before the window closes on Monday, they will have heard Neil Lennon predicting these signings would arrive on yesterday or today after the 3-1 win over Hearts on Sunday and of course Kilmarnock know that Celtic were prepared to pay over £3million for Motherwell youngster David Turnbull in June.
The other factor worth mentioning is that by selling their best player to Celtic, Kilmarnock will come up against Taylor in matches presumably making it tougher for them to get anything against the Champions.
And you can’t have it both ways Peter – you can’t have your cake and eat it. Peter Lawwell did not want to complete the signing of Romain Perraud from Nice before the sale of Tierney was complete because it would have set out the wrong signal to Arsenal who were at that time reluctant to meet the price of £25million for Tierney.
Perraud wanted to come to Celtic, Neil Lennon wanted to sign him but the Celtic interested faded for the above reason and instead the left-back signed for newly promoted French Ligue 1 side Brest.
????Romain Perraud ????⚪⚔#SB29LEV
???? Olivier Stéphan pic.twitter.com/pDBuJFBX4t— Stade Brestois 29 (@SB29) August 3, 2019
Kilmarnock have every right to weigh up all factors in any transfer negotiation and Bowie has a duty to the club’s supporters to get the best possible price. It’s a game of poker, who is bluffing, who will fold?
Peter Lawwell or Billy Bowie?
Bowie knows too the difficulties that Celtic have had in recent transfer windows. Last August Lawwell lost out to Aston Villa for the signing of John McGinn, arguing over a few hundred grand all summer with Petrie at Hibs. If Lawwell fails to bring in the recruits that have now been promised for this week by Neil Lennon, then the heat will very much be back on the Celtic CEO.
The Cluj disaster – a team that Celtic could and should have beaten comfortably – has already wiped out the Tierney millions by cosying Celtic around £30million in lost Champions League revenue. The money from the Europa League – IF we qualify plus the Tierney transfer cash cover this but it did not have to be this way.
Nick Hammond has watched Taylor and he is the priority target apparently for the second left back slot in in squad alongside Bolingoli, who was a £3million signing from Rapid Vienna in July.
There is also interest Rosenborg left-back Birger Meling. Rosenborg are likely to exit the Champions League at the Play-off round this week and drop into the Europa League. That would probably mean that the Norwegians will want to cash in on Meling now rather than let him go into the final year of his contract.
Lawwell having an alternative will he hopes weaken Bowie’s resolve to hold out for the £3million. Jack Hendry and perhaps Calvin Miller are being discussed as makeweights in any deal with Kilmarnock – either or both would do very well for Killie and would also assist Lawwell in his plans to cull the unplayed played from the huge squad that former manager Brendan Rodgers had grown.
The Celtic CEO probably realises that he has to sign one of these two players, given the hole he has dug for himself with his previous transfer window failings. Taylor or Meling? Bowie or Lawwell?
There is more than likely going to be a compromise with the fee being around £2million plus one or both fringe players going down to Rugby Park for the season.
