Eddie Howe would be unable to sign Steve Cook on a free transfer at Celtic with the Echo reporting that the Bournemouth defender actually has another year on his Cherries contract.
Though talks between Howe and the Hoops appear to be progressing at an Ent-like pace, reports from south of the border suggest that the 43-year-old has already identified a number of transfer targets should he take the top job at Parkhead.
According to the Scottish Sun, the former Bournemouth boss will make captain Cook one of his main priorities.
But while some have suggested that the long-serving 29-year-old is due to become a free-agent in July, well-placed sources claim that this is not the case.
The Bournemouth Echo state that Cook is actually under contract in 2022.
If Howe really does want to reunite with one of his old Premier League stalwarts, he will have to convince his Celtic bosses to pay a fee for a centre-back who will turn 30 later this month.
“I think he’s an unbelievable character when the chips are down,” Howe told the Daily Echo during their time together at the Vitality Stadium, highlighting Cook’s ‘leadership, mentality and experience’.
With Hatem Abd-Elhamed gone, Shane Duffy going and Kristoffer Ajer also facing an uncertain future, Howe would surely make a new centre-back his number one priority even if Bournemouth are unwilling to let Cook go.
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