Michael Gannon says that a Celtic deal to sign Julian Araujo is complicated by his Bournemouth salary.
Breaking down the state of play with the deal, Gannon said that the deal is financially ‘tricky’ for Celtic, with the defender’s salary way beyond what the club would be willing to pay.
The clamour for Araujo’s loan to be made permanent is growing, with his cousin saying that ‘chances are high’ of a Celtic stay next season.
But the reality may tell a different story, as Gannon has explained.
Will Celtic regret not inserting an option to buy in their Julian Araujo loan from Bournemouth?
Julian Araujo transfer fees
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Michael Gannon on Julian Araujo to Celtic
Speaking on the Record Celtic Podcast, the journo said: “Listen, this is going to go down to cash.
“And it might come down to the man himself. Because he’s got two years left on his deal, at least, at Bournemouth.
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Julian Araujo trolls Rangers fans by pointing to the Celtic badge after an equaliser
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“And he’s not on chump change at Bournemouth, I’ll put it that way. Because this is a guy that signed from Barcelona, for nine million quid.
“So a £9 million signing from Barcelona comes with a hefty wage bill, and I’m led to believe it’s somewhere north of £65,000-£70,000 a week.
“Listen, I’ve not got that nailed down, but you’re in that ballpark. That £60,000 a week -plus ballpark.
“That’s the going rate for a back-up right-back in the Premier League these days, scarily enough. So you’re in that ballpark, and he’s got a couple of years left.
“So for Araujo to stay at Celtic, he’s going to need to take a pay cut for a start. So he’d need to negotiate and either walk away from two years on that kind of money and say ‘rip up my contract, let’s wish for the best…’
“Or you can sell me for four or five million quid…
“So financially, it’s a tricky one. If he can say, ‘give me a year’s wages and I’ll go and take a pay cut’, then yeah, but that’s not realistic. This guy’s got a family to look after, and you can’t expect him to do that.”
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Julian Araujo of Celtic arrives prior to the William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk
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Julian Araujo’s Celtic spell so far
Araujo has made 13 appearances for Celtic since being signed on loan at the beginning of January, already establishing himself as something of a fan-favourite.
Mexico boss Javier Aguirre says Araujo is on his radar, as a seismic home World Cup edges closer. The 24-year-old will be hoping to return to action sooner rather than later to give him the best possible chance of being involved at the tournament.
It’s been a busy week for the defender following the birth of his and his partner’s first child, a baby boy named Angelo Jude.
This didn’t seem to be the cause of Araujo’s absence from Celtic’s 3-1 win over Motherwell, however, with Martin O’Neill confirming that Araujo is injured.
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