Utrecht manager John van den Boom has admitted that star man Gyrano Kerk could leave the club before the transfer window shuts.
Back in January, Celtic were the only club to make a concrete offer for the Dutch winger. Speaking in comments published by the Scottish Sun in February, Utrecht owner Frans van Seumeren said: “Lots of clubs asked about Kerk, but they never turned into actual offers.. The only club who made a concrete offer was Celtic.”
The Daily Mail has recently reported that Premier League outfit Leeds United have opened talks with the Eridivisie side to secure an £8million deal for the wide-man.
And whilst van den Boom hasn’t ruled out Kerk staying with Utrecht, he admits that it may very well be his time to leave before the window closes.
As quoted by De Telegraaf, Kerk’s boss said: “Gyrano, in this form, with his qualities and sharpness, is a very important player for us. A lot is happening around him. If you can continue to deliver this for the club you love, for the group of players and also for yourself, I think that’s great.
“Gy is an interesting guy for many teams and I can see him taking the next step. Let me start by saying that I don’t hope he will go, but it could just happen.”
£8m too steep given our current summer spending figure
Celtic’s summer outlay so far is around £13m on player fees alone (Transfermarkt). The Hoops’ figure for Motherwell midfielder David Turnbull wasn’t disclosed, but it has been reported as one that could cost as much as £3.25m (BBC).
All of that has been spent without the club having sold any of their big hitters this summer. The likes of Odsonne Edouard, Kristoffer Ajer, Olivier Ntcham, and Ryan Christie all still remain in Glasgow.
But it’s for that reason alone that an £8m outlay on Kerk will be difficult to justify. Spending upwards of £20m without both Champions League money or player sales would almost certainly lead to a late departure from the club at the best of times. During a pandemic that has been financially gripping, however, that possibility would only increase.
Kerk has an impressive total of 70 direct goal contributions for Utrecht in 137 appearances for them. They’re made up of 34 goals and 36 assists respectively (Transfermarkt). So his record is mightily impressive in a league as competitive as the Eridivisie.
But with Celtic still needing a left-winger whilst Kerk plays on the left, it looks as though the Hoops may have put a pause on this one for now. There’s been no reported offer from the club over the summer.
Kerk looks likely to move on this summer at 24 years of age, but it’s unlikely we’ll splash so much on a position that now has James Forrest and Jeremie Frimpong battling it out.
In other news, Charlton boss Lee Bowyer has given an update on the club’s transfer stance amid speculation over Alfie Doughty to Celtic.
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