Celtic Will ‘Try to Sign’ Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool

Highlights

• Celtic are set to up the ante in their pursuit of Liverpool shot-stopper Caoimhin Kelleher after Joe Hart has announced that he will retire at the end of the season.
• The Republic of Ireland international has been valued at £20million by his current employers ahead of the summer window.
• Transfer insider Dean Jones understands that Kelleher has not ruled out the possibility of leaving Anfield ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Celtic are ‘going to try’ to lure Caoimhin Kelleher to Parkhead in the summer, and transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT that the Liverpool star is ‘open-minded’ about embarking on a fresh challenge in the coming months for a key reason.

Attracting a new first-choice goalkeeper to the reigning Scottish Premiership champions has become a priority for Bhoys boss Brendan Rodgers as former England international Joe Hart has announced that he will retire at the end of the season, when his three-year contract is due to expire.

Although Celtic bolstered their options with the additions of Adam Idah and Nicolas Kuhn during the early stages of 2024, with the latter joining in a £3million switch from Rapid Vienna, the Glasgow giants have wasted no time in scouring the market for a shot-stopper as they make early preparations for the 2024/25 campaign.

Bhoys keen to fight off competition for Kelleher

Celtic are eager to sign Kelleher when the transfer window reopens for business in the summer, according to Football Insider, but they could find it difficult to convince him to head north of the border after he has also attracted Premier League interest thanks to his impressive performances in recent weeks.

The report suggests that the Republic of Ireland international, who lifted silverware for the sixth time in his career thanks to helping Liverpool to Carabao Cup glory last weekend, was courted by Nottingham Forest in January and will not be allowed to leave Anfield unless a lucrative fee is put on the table.

Although Kelleher has been restricted to less than 600 minutes of Premier League action this term, thanks to being behind Alisson Becker in the pecking order, statistics highlight that he could be the perfect replacement for Hart as he is a safe pair of hands between the sticks when called upon.

Celtic will have to splash the cash if they want to fight off stiff competition from fellow admirers as it is understood that Liverpool have slapped a £20million price tag on Kelleher following his Carabao Cup final-winning performance, but he has been on Rodgers’ radar for a prolonged period.

Respected reporter Jones previously told GIVEMESPORT that the Bhoys made contact with the 25-year-old’s current employers to discuss a potential deal last year and, although a move to Parkhead failed to come to fruition, he insisted that the transfer target would not settle for playing second-fiddle on Merseyside for much longer.

Kelleher is set to enter the final two years of his £10,000-per-week contract in the summer, and Liverpool are preparing to enter a new era as boss Jurgen Klopp will step down at the end of the season, so Celtic could see the upcoming transfer window as an ideal opportunity to pounce.

Dean Jones – Parkhead switch would be good option for next stage of Kelleher’s career

Jones understands that Kelleher is mulling over whether he needs to seek a transfer away from Liverpool as he aims to cement himself as the Republic of Ireland’s first-choice goalkeeper, while Klopp’s upcoming departure from the Anfield dugout means the summer window could be the perfect opportunity for him to move onto pastures new.

The reputable journalist believes that Celtic would be an ideal destination for the Reds’ academy graduate, who has been described as ‘world-class’ by teammate Virgil van Dijk, and Bhoys chief Rodgers will attempt to strike a deal after pinpointing him as a target following Hart’s decision to hang up his boots in the coming months.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT:

“I’m told that Kelleher will be open-minded about the decision-making process that comes at the end of this season.

“I think that when you’re playing as a No.2 right now, and it’s under Jurgen Klopp, you understand the process that is taking you to that moment. You’ve got a boss that completely trusts you in the biggest circumstances, so it is easy to stick around because you know that you’re still respected and wanted.

“With Klopp leaving, I feel like it makes it really tough for Kelleher to hang around as a back-up goalkeeper and know what that means for him. I also feel like it might be the moment to go on and actually make himself a No.1 somewhere else.

“I think Celtic seems like a good option. There are obviously the Irish links, and he wants to become the Republic of Ireland’s No.1, so it seems like something that could open up. It’s certainly something that Celtic are going to try.”

Celtic open to offloading Abada amid off-field difficulties

Celtic will entertain selling Liel Abada in the summer, according to Football Insider, and he is likely to bring the curtain down on his Parkhead career after he has already gained interest from overseas after there has been ongoing uncertainty over his long-term future.

The report suggests that the Scottish Premiership title-chasers are prepared to listen to offers for the Israel international, who has been restricted to 11 appearances this season, as he has been forced to deal with off-the-pitch struggles due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and that has led to him spending time out of competitive action.

Abada has come under sustained pressure from his homeland to push for a Celtic exit due to sections of the fanbase adopting a pro-Palestinian stance, which led to West Bromwich Albion, Watford and Southampton joining clubs in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga in enquiring whether a loan move would be considered ahead of the winter’s February 1 deadline.

Although the winger has remained in Glasgow, Major League Soccer franchises Atlanta United and Austin could offer him a route out of his current surroundings as they have registered an interest ahead of potentially upping the ante with a formal proposal in the coming months.

Reliable journalist Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that Rodgers needs to manage Abada carefully and hold internal discussions with him to discover whether it would be possible to rely on him for the final weeks of the campaign despite battling with difficulties away from the pitch.

All statistics courtesy of FBref and Sofascore