According to a Turkish publication, Celtic have launched an official offer for Trabzonspor goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakir. The Celtic Star first reported on this last month, when it was revealed that the stopper was on a shortlist of potential candidates to be Joe Hart’s heir in between the sticks for the Scottish Premiership Champions.
Now Taka in the player’s homeland have given an update and cited Hoops CEO Michael Nicholson by name, in what is a very specific nugget of information if it were just rumour. This is a very interesting one as it’s clear that the goalkeeping department will need a proper rethink this summer transfer window. Scott Bain and the rarely spotted Benjamin Seigrist are our back-up goalkeepers respectively, but Seigrist is supposedly looking for a new home and Bain is never really called upon either.
Which begs the question: will Celtic spend really big on a new number one ‘keeper to replace the retiring Joe Hart? The Turkish international Çakir had been collecting admiring glances from English giants Liverpool a couple of seasons ago and there is also a report from Brendan Rodgers’ time at Leicester City which scout Lee Congerton – formerly of Celtic – claiming he was the best goalkeeper he had ever seen live.
Could there be a link there when it comes to Çakir as Rodgers looks to stamp his own authority on the squad this summertime? A £7.5 million fee is reported to have been sent via email from Michael Nicholson to the player’s club in Turkey, with a view to advancing the deal for the end of the current season. So Celtic could be getting all their ducks in a row for the upheaval of next campaign.
🇹🇷 | 𝗨ğ𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗮𝗻 Ç𝗮𝗸ı𝗿 – 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀
As per @TakaGazetesi
– Michael Nicholson contacted Tranzonspor via email
– Celtic ask permission to invite Cakir’s agent & lawyer to Glasgow for negotiations
– Rodgers seeks permission for zoom. All with the player
– £7.5M fee pic.twitter.com/5TFydtO9gE
— Everything Celtic (@aboutceltic) April 6, 2024
This one is very interesting from the outside.
Paul Gillespie
