Jesse Derry was linked with Celtic, now he could line up for Sporting in pre-season friendly

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Celtic love signing a young prospect.

Callum Osmand’s arrival from Fulham last summer is a prime example, but Celtic were also linked with Jesse Derry during that same transfer window.

The then-Crystal Palace youngster ended up at Chelsea, where he impressed in the academy, and proceeded to pen a new contract, as well as making his debut for the London club.

But with Chelsea stacked with attacking talent following the arrival of former Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso, Derry has since secured a season-long move to Sporting Lisbon, and a meeting with Celtic is on the cards.

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Jesse Derry could face Celtic for Sporting Lisbon

On Saturday, Chelsea announced that Derry had made the switch from Stamford Bridge to Sporting, and his first game could come against the champions of Scotland.

Martin O’Neill’s side recently touched down in Portugal after opening their first pre-season match ahead of the 2026/27 season with a draw against Shelbourne.

Now it’s the regular trip to Lisbon, where the Hoops will be hoping to step up their preparations, and fans will get to see what Derry is made of if he takes to the pitch.

Who else do Celtic play in pre-season?

After a trip in the baking sun of Portugal, Celtic will return to the heatwave in Glasgow, and a showdown against English Championship side Middlesbrough.

Boro were involved in huge controversy last season when Southampton were kicked out of the play-off final for spying on their semi-final opponents.

Then it’s a pretty tasty encounter against Italian giants AC Milan.

Hopefully, this will be the only meeting between the two clubs this season because Milan are in the Europa League for the 2026/27 campaign, and it’s not where Celtic want to be.

• Sporting Lisbon v Celtic, Tuesday, 14 July, Estádio Algarve at 17:30 (BST)
• Celtic v Middlesbrough, Saturday, 18 July, Celtic Park at 15:00 (BST)
• Celtic v AC Milan, Saturday, 25 July, Celtic Park at 15:00 (BST)