Celtic are chasing the permanent signature of Tottenham Hotspur defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, with talks now believed to be imminent.
Bhoys boss Ange Postecoglou has told The Scottish Sun that discussions will be taking place in the near future to try and sign Carter-Vickers permanently.
Celtic want to tie down loanees Carter-Vickers and Jota to permanent deals and chief executive Michael Nicholson is now set to open talks.
Postecoglou isn’t getting too worried about the talks, suggesting that the situation will ‘take care of itself’.
The Celtic boss believes both Carter-Vickers and Jota love playing for the Bhoys, and the hope is that they sign permanent deals.
“Those discussions will be taking place over the course of the next period with Michael Nicholson at the forefront of that,” said Postecoglou. “It’ll take care of itself. If I say we’re closer regarding them, it’s as if something’s happened. We all live in a romanticised version of life but it usually comes down to what drives the individual.”
“Finances come into it, and other factors can influence the decision. I’m not going to try and convince anyone to stay. If you don’t understand how special it is to be a part of this place, nothing I’m going to say will change that. I know Cam and Jota love representing this l club. They’re contributing right now and that’s all I need to see,” he added.
There is a permanent option worth around £6million in Jota’s loan from Benfica, but a deal for Carter-Vickers seem a little trickier.
The Daily Record reported in November that Tottenham were demanding a deal worth £10million in total for Carter-Vickers.
A deal could be £6million plus £4million in add-ons, meaning Celtic will face a major outlay if they want to sign the defender permanently.
Carter-Vickers, 24, has spent more than 12 years in the Tottenham ranks but has never played a single league game for Spurs.
This is Carter-Vickers’ seventh loan spell away from Tottenham, so it’s fairly clear he won’t be making the grade at Spurs.
Still, Tottenham clearly feel that Carter-Vickers has real value in the transfer market and are hoping Celtic pay up.
Celtic will likely want to negotiate that fee down a little, but Carter-Vickers would be wise to stay at Parkhead if he has the chance.
The American international has been a mainstay of the Celtic side, shining under Postecoglou on a regular basis.
That’s what Carter-Vickers has needed for a long time, and a permanent move to Celtic seems ideal for all parties.
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