Liverpool youngster Ryan Kent may cost Bournemouth £6m – so this is perhaps why Celtic have turned their attentions towards Srdjan Plavsic.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers wants a winger
When you’ve got a nickname like ‘Atomic Ant’, you’re always going to stand out from the crowd. And, despite his small stature, 5ft 5ins Red Star Belgrade winger Srdjan Plavsic has done exactly that.
According to the Daily Mail last month, the Serbian youngster had piqued the interest of Celtic after a fine season in his home country. And, with the chances of Patrick Roberts returning from Manchester City looking increasingly unlikely, the publication adds that Celtic are now set to step up their pursuit of a cheaper alternative.
The report claims that Plavsic would cost the Scottish champions just £1.5 million, provided they can hold off interest from Basel and Sparta Prague, who Celtic will play against in pre-season.
And head of recruitment Lee Congerton is understood to be flying out to Poland to watch Plavsic in action as Serbia take on Spain in the Under-21 European Championship on Friday.
A direct and pacey winger, the 21-year-old enjoyed the best season of his career in 2016/17, helping Red Star to the Serbian Super Lig title. He also netted eight goals, making last season his most prolific to date.
And with Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers making clear that Celtic plan to scour under-the-radar markets for affordable young talents, like former FC Krasnodar midfielder Eboue Kouassi who arrived in January, it appears that Plavsic fits the club’s specifications.
Yet, this could also be an acceptance that another of Rodgers’ wing targets may be beyond their reach. The Sun claimed recently that Celtic had a loan offer rejected by Liverpool for highly-rated winger Ryan Kent.
However, they may be more receptive to a £6 million bid from Bournemouth – provided they can put a buy-back clause in Kent’s contract. Such a fee would make the former Barnsley loanee the joint most expensive player in Celtic’s history.
Plavsic, therefore, is a more affordable and realistic target.
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