Celtic were interested in Steven Caulker in the summer, but now it appears he will join domestic rivals Dundee.
The Scottish Sun have claimed that Scottish Premiership minnows Dundee are expected to announce the signing of Steven Caulker, just months after Brendan Rodgers admitted he would like to sign him at Celtic.
It is believed that the 26-year-old defender, who had his contract terminated by English Championship side QPR late last year, has been at Dens Park on Thursday morning to meet Neil McCann’s squad.
The one-time England international, who scored on his Three Lions bow against Sweden in a 4-2 loss, is set to undergo a medical before completing a move to Dundee.
In what is a major coup for McCann’s side, Caulker was linked with a move to Celtic last summer after Rodgers refused to rule out a move for the defender when speaking to the Daily Record in July.
However, Caulker is now set to join Dundee and will face Celtic on February 28 at Celtic Park if he can declare himself fit before then.
Will Celtic regret failing to lure Caulker to Glasgow?
There is no doubt that on his day, Caulker is an excellent centre-back. He is more than capable of plying his trade in the Premier League and has shown that with Liverpool, Swansea City, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur.
On a free transfer, especially with Celtic’s current centre-back woes that sees Marvin Compper, Kristoffer Ajer and Dedryck Boyata sidelined, he would been a good signing.
But Rodgers knows better than most the demons preventing Caulker from reaching the next level, with his alcohol and gambling addictions preventing the defender from reaching his potential.
If McCann can get the best out of Caulker, then Celtic may feel regret at failing to land the 6ft 3in centre-back.
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