Celtic could lose out on a summer transfer windfall.
Celtic could lose out on a major transfer windfall this summer after weekend reports claimed Liverpool could turn their attention to an in-demand European right-back as an alternative to Jeremie Frimpong.
The former Hoops full-back has been strongly linked to the English Premier League giants since January, with the club reported to have identified Frimpong as an ideal replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is edging edging closer to a summer departure from Anfield.
The England international full-back has been heavily linked with a pre-contract move to Real Madrid, with his contract coming to an end this summer, and it appeared that Dutch head coach Arne Slot had earmarked the ex-Celtic defender and fellow countryman as the perfect replacement for Alexander-Arnold, should his departure from the club be confirmed.
Jeremine Frimpong in action against Celtic during the Champions League in 2021.Jeremine Frimpong in action against Celtic during the Champions League in 2021.
Jeremine Frimpong in action against Celtic during the Champions League in 2021. | SNS Group
Frimpong won two league titles with Celtic after joining the club from Manchester City in the summer of 2019 for a fee of around £500,000 while still a teenager, but was prized away from the club by Bayer Leverkusen just two-and-half-years later, with the Hoops believed to have banked a huge profit of around £11m when he completed his move the Bundesliga giants in January 2021.
The move to Leverkusen has proven to be a huge triumph for the player, with the 24-year-old making history with last season as Xabi Alonso’s side claimed the Bundesliga title for the first time in the club’s history without losing a game. They completed a domestic double by winning the DFB-Pokal weeks later.
Frimpong’s success has resulted in him being linked with a big money switch to the English Premier League in recent weeks, where it has since emerged that Celtic had inserted a sell-on clause into the deal that saw him leave the club in 2021. It is believed a transfer fee of £34million is what it would take to prize him away from Leverkusen, which would hand Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers a big boost to his transfer kitty, with the club likely to earn around in £6.7million from any potential sale.
Liverpool join the chase
However, a new report over the weekend could now scupper Celtic’s chances of a summer windfall, with Liverpool reported to have now joined the chase to sign highly-rated Romanian international defender Andrei Rațiu frrom Rayo Vallecano. The 26-year-old full-back has caught the attention of Barcelona this season after a series of strong performances in La Liga, with the pacey defender expected to be ‘one of the most sought-after’ players on the market in the summer.
The player’s rumoured release clause of €25million could quickly see Liverpool become front runners for his signature too, with Romanian football site ProSport saying: “Barcelona are not in a good financial position and for this reason they do not want to pay Rayo's release clause. The Catalans want to pay a maximum of 15 million plus a reserve player in exchange”, adding that “Rayo was quick to clarify that the English club can have the Romanian international as soon as they send the fixed amount of 25 million euros”.