Report suggests £10m man linked to Celtic has heart set on Bundesliga

Follow us on Google Discover

Celtic have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Preston North End defender Ben Davies with The Sun (25 October, page 61) reporting that he is dreaming of a move to the Bundesliga.

And who can blame him?

After all, it’s not just any old German outfit who want to sign one of the Championship’s most highly-rated centre-halves.

The Sun reports that Bayer Leverkusen, Champions League finalists in 2001 and European regulars, are interested in offering Davies a potential once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at the Bay Arena.

Celtic had shown an interest in the £10 million man-mountain over the summer and were hoping to sign Davies on a pre-contract agreement in January, with his current deal at Preston due to expire in July 2021 (Sun).

But, while the Hoops’ defensive deficiencies were exposed once again during Sunday’s topsy-turvy 3-3 draw with Aberdeen, Davies appears to have his sights set on a move abroad rather than north of the border.

Whether Leverkusen is the right move for the 25-year-old, however, is another matter altogether.

In Edmond Tapsoba and Germany international Jonathan Tah, Peter Bosz has two of the most talented young centre-halves in the whole of Europe at his disposal.

First-team football would be far more likely at Celtic, particularly when you consider that Shane Duffy is only on loan from Brighton and Kristoffer Ajer’s long-term future appears to lie elsewhere.

Speaking to LancsLive in September, Preston boss Alex Neil made it clear that he valued Davies in the £10 million bracket.

Unless a new deal can be agreed, then the Lilywhites will be lucky to get even half of that in 2021.