Scottish Premiership champions Celtic reportedly rejected a £13m bid from Primeira Liga giants FC Porto last week for Olivier Ntcham.
Celtic are obviously determined to hang onto Olivier Ntcham until after the transfer window shuts at the end of August.
The £4.5 million midfielder has emerged as a key player for the Scottish Premiership side since his move from Manchester City last summer and won the domestic treble in his first season north of the border.
But that impressive form has attracted interest from elsewhere. According to Goal, FC Porto have made a £13 million bid for Ntcham, though that has been rejected by Celtic.
Expect this rumour to rumble on, however, because Goal claims that Ntcham is not averse to a move to the Primeira Liga champions. And Porto are expected to make a new bid in the coming days with Sergio Conceicao’s side hoping to announce the 22-year-old’s signing by the end of this week.
Losing Ntcham now would be a bitter blow for Celtic. But defeat to AEK Athens in the Champions League qualifiers surely weakens their hand, particularly as Porto can offer the former Genoa loanee guaranteed football in Europe’s premiere club competition this season.
Celtic have already lost one key midfielder this summer, with Stuart Armstrong joining Premier League outfit Southampton and following in the footsteps of Fraser Forster, Victor Wanyama and Virgil van Dijk.
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