Celtic booked their place in the Scottish League Cup final with a 1-0 win.
Celtic’s Jozo Simunovic in action with Rangers’ Barrie McKay
A report in The Scottish Sun has claimed that Newcastle United and Crystal Palace followed up their interest in Jozo Simunovic by sending scouts to watch the Celtic defender during the Scottish League Cup semi-final.
The Daily Mail had reported at the weekend that the Magpies and the Premier League side were keen on the Croatian, and it now appears that their interest has intensified with The Scottish Sun suggesting that they had representatives in attendance at Hampden Park as Brendan Rodgers’ men booked their place in the final.
Celtic’s Jozo Simunovic in action with Rangers’ Jason Holt
And, perhaps unfortunately for Celtic, they would have surely been impressed by what they saw from the 22-year-old. Not only did he help the Hoops keep a clean sheet, but he also made a couple of crucial blocks that prevented Rangers from testing Craig Gordon.
While both interested sides strengthened their options at the back over the summer, it appears that Simunovic could be in for another busy transfer window come January.
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez
The centre-back nearly left Celtic in the summer, The Scottish Sun reports, but a £4m move to Torino ultimately fell through.
And having now helped the Bhoys keep clean sheets in four of the six games he has played this term, it would perhaps not be a huge surprise if either Newcastle or Palace decided to follow up their interest with a bid when the window reopens.
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew
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