Pundit Alan Hutton has backed Celtic to sign Tottenham defender Cameron Carter-Vickers in a permanent cut-price deal, Football Insider report.
The Lowdown: Busy January ahead
The Hoops look set for a busy start to 2022, with Ange Postecoglou seemingly after four permanent January additions. Japanese trio Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi are all targets, while Celtic are expected to trigger the option to buy clause in Jota’s loan deal, thought to be worth £6.5m.
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Celtic also have the option to make Carter-Vickers’ loan a full-time move following his deadline day switch, with Postecoglou recently admitting he is keen to make the defender’s move permanent in a deal that could be worth £6m.
However, Hutton feels the Hoops could actually get money off the USA international, described as ‘quick’ by former Bournemouth boss Jonathan Woodgate.
The Latest: Hutton’s comments
Hutton, who regularly contributes for BBC Radio 5 Live, was talking to Football Insider regarding Carter-Vickers.
He backed new CEO Michael Nicholson to strike a half-price agreement, labelling a previously reported £3m move as a ‘great’ piece of business.
“I think £6million is high.
“There is potential there and he’s still young enough to be able to develop.
“He’s not played a lot of football, out with the likes of a loan at Bournemouth and a couple more.
“I think if they’re talking £3million, round about that mark, maybe with some sort of sell-on fees or incentives.
“That’s more realistic at this moment in time.
“If they could do it for roundabout that price, I think that will be a great deal.”
The Verdict: No brainer…
Carter-Vickers has been an influential and ever-present figure at the back for Celtic since joining, so a cut-price permanent appears to be a no brainer.
He’s made 23 appearances in all competitions and has missed just one Scottish Premiership fixture. The 23-year-old has made more clearances than any Hoops player in the league this season and has been dribbled past the least [WhoScored]
So, should the Hoops manage to get a discount off their option to buy over the coming weeks, it could well turn out to be a shrewd piece of business in Postecoglou’s long-term Parkhead rebuild.
In other news: ‘Outstanding’ Celtic gem could now miss next 11 fixtures, says journalist.