Celtic could be set for a surprise windfall in January if Hearts sell exciting left-back Aaron Hickey.
The 17-year-old has leapt onto the scene at Tynecastle in recent months and impressed to the extent where English giants Manchester City have been linked with a move for his services. The Scottish Sun credited Pep Guardiola’s side, along with Southampton, with having an interest in Hickey in late August, and a £1.5million fee was mooted.
Now the same paper have revealed that Celtic hold a 30% sell on clause in the teenager’s next move. That’s after Hickey left the Hoops at the age of 16 to return to Hearts, where he had played in his earlier days. The Celtic hierarchy could have sought a healthy compensation fee following Hickey’s move but the instead decided to insert the sell on fee – and that’s looking like a clever decision.
Hickey could generate Celtic some cash
Hickey looks a real talent at such a young age and showed all his ability in May’s Scottish Cup final when he kept James Forrest pretty quiet. If he can continue to perform well then he could be the next Scottish left-back to move for big money after Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney and Greg Taylor.
While there may be a frustration that he is no longer on our books, that could be countered by the fact we will see some sort of money when he moves on. Time will tell whether that move comes this year or further down the line, but it is likely to be big bucks when it happens – due to Hickey’s growing standing in the game.
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