Celtic may be forced to keep a close eye on the summer transfer saga in the Premier League.
Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson is a wanted man with both Manchester City and United believed to be ready to throw money at the player to sign him ahead of next season.
It will take an eye-popping transfer fee to land the 23-year-old who snubbed a Scotland call-up to play for England last year.
The figure quoted by media outlets comes close to the £100million mark in what would be a staggering amount of cash for the playmaker.
But while it would not be a move which impacts Parkhead directly, what could happen after it goes through would be one to watch for those in charge of the coffers at the club.
Celtic midfielder Arne Engels was a transfer target at the City Ground last season with multiple offers made and, ultimately rejected, on January’s deadline day.
We at CeltsAreHere understand £25m was turfed out by Celts who had been worried they would be unable to bring in a proper replacement for the Belgian international in a short space of time.
We understand there had been midfield players offered to the Celtic scouts and management staff from around Europe with contingency plans possible, but a deal was not done and Engels stuck around.
The 22-year-old would go on to play a big part in Celtic’s Double winning campaign – including with a goal in the Scottish Cup Final – but Forest landing such a massive fee for Anderson could tempt them into trying their luck again.
And adding another few million onto their previous offer for Engels would likely convince Celts to part ways with their star with plenty of time to find new talent before the season begins.
Of course there were some fans who insisted back in January that £25m should have been accepted by the board. Former player Robert Snodgrass even feels Engels could replace Anderson. Yet, if they can land more than that this season it must count as good business.
Forest, if they do sell Anderson, will be flush with cash. And it’s understood Edu Gaspar remains an admirer of Engels and may be willing to try again with Celtic’s decision makers.
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