Erik Sviatchenko won’t be returning home after all with Copenhagen unable to meet Celtic’s demands for the centre-back.
With Rivaldo Coetzee’s move to Celtic from South African side Ajax Cape Town falling through thanks to a failed medical, the fact that Erik Sviatchenko now looks likely to remain at Parkhead should come as a relief to manager Brendan Rodgers.
Celtic’s central defensive options have been severely strained of late with midfielder Nir Bitton forced to drop into the back four and untested youngster Kristoffer Ajer thrown into the mix in recent weeks with Sviatchenko and Dedryck Boyata both struggling with injuries.
Therefore, reports in the Scottish Sun that Danish defender Sviatchenko was keen on a return home with Copenhagen may have been a cause for concern.
The report added that Copenhagen had a bid of £2.7 million rejected for a player who publically expressed his frustration after falling down the pecking order under Rodgers during the second half of last season.
Priced out
However, the capital club’s manager, Stale Solbakken, has now admitted that the deal is dead in the water with Celtic demanding a much higher fee for the 25-year-old, as reported by the Daily Record.
“We have been looking for a Scandinavian defender. We were in dialogue with Celtic.
“But the distance between our bid and their asking price was so great that there was no point dwelling on it.” said the former Norwegian international, who had 30 games in charge of Wolves in 2012/13.
As such, unless there is renewed Premier League interest in Sviatchenko, linked with Southampton and Leicester City in January (The Sun), he will be remaining at Parkhead for the time being.
Yet, the Daily Record reports that Rodgers is still on the lookout for defensive reinforcements after the disappointing ending to their long-running pursuit of Coetzee.
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