Celtic have failed to bring Filip Benkovic to the Scottish Premiership and now the Dinamo Zagreb star could head to the Bundesliga instead.
Jozo Simunovic is a shadow of his former self. Dedryck Boyata is out of contract in one year, Erik Sviatchenko is on loan in Denmark, Jack Hendry is struggling badly and Marvin Compper has not even made his Scottish Premiership debut.
So, yes, there is a good chance that Celtic will be in the market for a new centre-back this summer.
But it seems that Filip Benkovic might have slipped through their grasp. Back in January 2017, the Scottish Sun reported that Celtic were closely watching the 20-year-old Dinamo Zagreb defender.
And then, almost a year later, the paper added that Celtic had stepped up their interest after they watched the Croatian score an 87th-minute equaliser in a draw with Hadjuk Split. By that point, however, Benkovic’s price-tag had risen beyond their £6 million transfer record.
And, this summer, he could finally leave Zagreb for a major fee.
It is understood that Dortmund value Sokratis at about £18 million, which means they will have a lot of money to reinvest in a potential deal for Benkovic.
If Celtic had moved a year ago, they might have got their man. This time around, however, the chance appears to have gone.
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