Despite being one of the biggest clubs in Scottish football, alongside rivals Rangers, Celtic have historically struggled to match the financial power of Premier League sides who have come to dominate the global market.
Indeed, Brendan Rogers may now feel that he’s done all he can in Glasgow and see next season as a good time to return to the English top-flight, with Leicester City one of the likely locations to take advantage of the far larger transfer budgets (via The Sun last month).
Of course, this is by no means set in stone. It’s entirely possible that Rodgers, who has established himself as a fan favourite – claiming two Scottish Premier League titles and winning two Scottish League Cups and two Scottish Cups during his three-year tenure at the club – could well see a return as a backwards step from his current position, where he is all but guaranteed European football every year.
One step Celtic could take to secure his signature for years to come is serious investment in new players. We’ve recently seen a host of talent entering the club, including Timothy Weah and Oliver Burke, but this is only on a temporary basis. More permanent signings would show they really mean business.
And apparently Celtic are doing just that. Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reported that a €10 million bid for Atlanta winger Timothy Castagne was made but rejected during the January transfer window.
As ridiculous as it sounds, is that amount of money enough to convince Rodgers of the project? In times where £30+ million bids are being lodged for fairly average players, perhaps not. Still, at least those behind the scenes at Parkhead were willing to spend what would have been a big fee for the Bhoys, perhaps going some way to show their boss that last summer’s transfer frustration won’t continue.
