Celtic’s off-field chaos may end up preventing them from signing Crystal Palace’s James McCarthy.

Sources close to Give Me Sport have provided an update on the club’s pursuit of Eddie Howe and midfielder McCarthy.

The report claims the Hoops are an 'absolute mess' behind the scenes with 'mixed messages all over the place' coming out of Celtic Park in regards to a new manager.

A deal for Howe could still go through, but the delay in a managerial announcement is holding up the club’s proposed move for McCarthy.

There is thought to be a slight reluctance from the Hoops hierarchy to force through a pre-contract agreement just in case Neil Lennon’s long-term successor does not want him.

McCarthy’s Palace contract expires in a matter of months, so the club are in a position where they could make the 30-year-old an early signing ahead of the summer.

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Transfer Tavern take

It seems as if the club’s wait for a new boss could end up hurting their summer recruitment.

However, in our opinion, the Hoops are doing the right thing by refusing to sign off a deal without the new manager’s permission.

McCarthy, who is also wanted by Newcastle, is on £50,000-a-week at Selhurst Park, so you’d expect he could become one of the club’s top earners if he moved to Parkhead.

There could be a situation where the new man in charge doesn’t rate McCarthy, which may result in the club forking out a huge salary for a player who is hardly featuring, similar to what they have done with loanee Shane Duffy this season.

Who knows, we may still see McCarthy in Glasgow for the 2021/22 campaign, but for now, it seems as if the club’s priority is a new boss, and we feel that is absolutely the correct decision after last summer's shambolic recruitment.

In other news: Premier League giants tracking Celtic midfielder, find out more here.