Celtic wanted Sporting Kansas City forward Johnny Russell before he moved to Derby County from Dundee United in 2013.
Russell joined Derby in England from Scottish club Dundee United in 2013 for a transfer fee reported by The Scottish Sun to be worth £750,000.
The 27-year-old Scottish forward, who moved to Sporting in Major League Soccer in the January transfer window after leaving Championship club Derby, has revealed that Celtic wanted him back in 2013.
The Scottish Sun quotes Russell as saying: “Derby made the bid and made it really clear they wanted me to join. They made me feel extremely wanted, to be part of the club.
“Celtic were informed and they wouldn’t match the offer, so it was one of those that was close but it never came down to me making a decision on where I was going.
“Obviously, if the bid was matched, it would have been an extremely difficult decision for me. I always wanted to go somewhere else but if your boyhood heroes come in for you, there are not many people who would turn it down.”
Success at Derby County
Russell is a good forward who did relatively during his time at Derby, scoring 34 goals in 203 appearances for Rams, according to The Derby Telegraph.
Back in 2013, the Scotsman would have been a good signing for Celtic, who have since moved on and signed other stars and could win the second successive domestic treble this season.
Russell will now hope to have a successful career in MLS with Sporting.
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