When Celtic signed Jozo Simunovic in 2015, Filip Benkovic stepped into his shoes at Dinamo Zagreb. Now, Celtic want the latter too.
Brendan Rodgers stated in September that he would have been willing to break Celtic’s long-standing transfer record in the summer to sign Manchester City loanee Patrick Roberts on a permanent basis.
And Rodgers may soon get another chance to shatter a record that has stood since Celtic paid £6 million for John Hartson from Coventry City back in 2001. The Scottish Sun reports that The Hoops watched Dinamo Zagreb defender Filip Benkovic in action at the weekend.
Celtic have been linked with the Croatian youngster since back in January but, after Benkovic signed a new five-year deal earlier in the year, Dinamo were demanding £17 million for his signature.
With Rodgers desperate to enhance his defensive options, however, with Dedryck Boyata, Erik Sviatchenko and Jozo Simunovic all suffering injuries this season, you wonder whether Celtic will now be willing to dig deep.
Benkovic scored an 89th minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Hajduk Split under the noses of Celtic’s scouts at the weekend so it’s fair to say he made a positive impression.
Stepping into Simunovic’s shoes
The question, however, is how Celtic could fund a deal. Perhaps the only way to bring Benkovic to Parkhead would be to cash in on the player he replaced at Dinamo Zagreb.
As reported by the Scottish Sun, Benkovic has been dubbed ‘the new Simunovic’ in Croatia, stepping into the former Dinamo defender’s shoes when he left for Scotland in 2015 for £3 million.
These days, however, Simunovic is worth far more with the Scottish Sun stating that Celtic placed a £10 million price tag on his head. A number of Premier League clubs, including West Brom, Burnley and Newcastle United, all scouted the defender last season, per The Mail, so there are short odds on Simunovic becoming the latest Celtic star to move south of the border.
By which point, Celtic may have the funds to make Benkovic their record signing. Could he replace Simunovic again?
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