Celtic and Newcastle United both share similar transfer policies – essentially, buy low, sell high.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers may be blessed with the luxury of three in-form central defenders at the moment in Erik Sviatchenko, Josip Simunovic and the resurgent Dedryck Boyata but it is not beyond the realms of possibility that he could aim to reinforce his ranks in the summer.
Novosti reports that Celtic were one of a number of European clubs to send scouts to brave the typically explosive Belgrade derby between Partizan and Red Star on Saturday as the club continue to scour the Balkan nations for diamonds hidden under the rough.
And with Sviatchenko attracting attention from the Premier League recently while Kolo Toure prepares to bow out, Partizan centre-back Nikola Milenkovic may well have been the subject of the weekend jaunt to Serbia.
The 19-year-old defender, who the Daily Record report is also on the radar of Juventus and Villarreal, is said to be available for £1 million and fits Rodgers’ desire to sign young, cheap talents from under-the-radar markets, a la Kouassi Eboue from FC Krasnodar (below).
However, Celtic could also have competition from just a few miles south of the border. Vesti Sport claimed in October that Newcastle United were tracking the defender – although the publication claims that, as Milenkovic is under contract until 2020, a fee of around £3 million would be required.
Rafael Benitez has stuck rigidly to a defensive partnership of Jamaal Lascelles and Ciaran Clark in recent months with Grant Hanley and Chancel Mbemba seemingly losing his trust.
Therefore, a new centre-back, one that would appeal to owner Mike Ashley due to his affordable price and potential re-sale value, may be high on Newcastle’s list of priorities.
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