Fenerbache left-back Hasan Ali Kaldirim has starred in the Turkish Super Lig this season but will he stay there amid interest from Celtic and West Ham?
With just a few weeks to go before the end of the season, Emilio Izaguirre’s future at Celtic remains uncertain. As it stands, the long-serving left-back will be a free agent in the summer when his contract expires, despite speculation that the club were planning to offer him a new deal.
However, with his reported replacement playing down the possibility that he could move to Glasgow in the summer, it will be interesting to see whether Izaguirre is offered a contract before the end of the season.
”I’ve been at this club for six years. People know me as ‘Fenerbahçe’s Hasan Ali’. That’s a great thing for me,” Hasan Ali Kaldirim, linked with a move to Celtic in January by The Sun, told Vatan.
“It’s normal that I’ve been receiving offers from other clubs because I am playing for Turkey’s biggest club.
“But none of these offers matters to me right now. I am only focused on my team. We have a Turkish Cup to play and we have to clinch the second place first.”
Celtic reportedly enquired about the 27-year-old, a left-wing back renowned for his attacking ability, earlier in the season as they aim to step up their pursuit for a long-term Izaguirre replacement. With 16 international caps to his name, Ali is one of the most under-the-radar talents in the Turkish game and could have represented a stable understudy to first-choice Kieran Tierney.
West Ham were also reported to be interested though, with the much maligned Arthur Masuaku revitalising his career in English football with a string of fine recent performances, it seems manager Slaven Bilic is no longer is such dire need for reinforcements at left-back.
The Hammers also have the impressive Aaron Creswell available.
Therefore, Celtic’s need for a new left-back is far more pressing. Though it appears they will have to look elsewhere with ‘Fenerbache’s Hasan Ali’ more than content with life in Turkey.
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