Can Southampton now aim bigger than Celtic’s exit-seeking Erik Sviatchenko?

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Copenhagen want to sign Erik Sviatchenko from Celtic for £1.5m – but Premier League side Southampton could offer far more if they’re still interested.

Celtic are used to making a profit on their investments but that may not be the case with Erik Sviatchenko.

Because the Daily Record reports that Danish giants FC Copenhagen are keen to sign the out-of-favour centre-back for £1.5 million – exactly the same fee Celtic paid Midtjylland for his signature two years ago.

The report states that Sviatchenko is set to leave Parkhead after the arrival of German Marvin Compper from RB Leipzig and Rodgers will not stand in his way. It is understood that Copenhagen, who came close to doing a deal in the summer, will make a fresh move in January.

But you get the feeling that Celtic could earn more than £1.5 million if they bide their time. After all, it is only a year since The Sun reported that Southampton were keen to take Sviatchenko south of the border – and The Saints have suddenly found themselves in a situation where they need a new centre-back.

Virgil van Dijk is now the most expensive defender in football history after agreeing a long-awaited £75 million move to Liverpool earlier this week, as reported by the BBC. It goes without saying that The Saints, who were thrashed 5-2 by Tottenham on Boxing Day with the Dutchman omitted from the squad, face a huge task replacing the talismanic number 17.

But with such a remarkable fee burning a whole in their back pocket, surely Southampton can now afford to aim bigger than the likes of Sviatchenko. They South Coast club are in a position where they can reinvest substantially into a squad that has stagnated of late and with many of their recent signings struggling to live up to expectations, why would they attempt to sign a player who is not even getting in Celtic’s starting XI.

Sviatchenko is not like Van Dijk or Wanyama, one of the first names on the Celtic team-sheet before moving to St Mary’s. He is a player Celtic are only too happy to sell, and on a bargain deal too.

And it wouldn’t exactly send out the right message if Southampton were to replace theri £75 million superstar with a £1.5 million outcast who hasn’t played a league game all season.