Celtic are already planning to sign Shane Duffy permanently once his year-long loan stint in Glasgow ends, according to the Daily Record.
The Record reports that Parkhead chiefs are confident the Republic of Ireland international will be a massive success this season, and are already targeting making his loan move a permanent one next year.
The newspaper also states that the player himself is looking to assess his options at the end of the season. Brighton, however, are looking for as much as £10million for Duffy’s signature.
West Ham and West Brom were also in the running for Duffy this summer, the Record says. It remains to be seen if they come back in for him in a years’ time.
Former Everton centre-back Duffy sealed a one-year loan deal with Celtic yesterday. He’ll be available to make his debut against Ross County in Dingwall next weekend so long as comes back from international duty unscathed.
An exciting prospect, but let’s see what the season brings
It’s easy to get carried away after bagging Duffy for the season. And, in a way, it’s definitely exciting to see that the board is potentially planning on keeping him should things go well.
However, the big centre-back has yet to even play a single game for the club. None of us know how this season is going to pan out. It’s worth seeing how Duffy performs in green-and-white before we get overly excited about the prospect of bringing him back.
It may not be easy to sign him up permanently next year either. Nobody knows what the player’s mindset is and where he views his long-term future.
Is Duffy looking to stay in Glasgow for the next several years or potentially the rest of his career? Or does he simply want to help his boyhood club achieve 10-in-a-row before continuing to ply his trade down south?
Should we sign him next year, he would also have to take a substantial wage drop. The Record believes Duffy is on as much as £45,000-per-week with the Seagulls. Money like that simply isn’t in Celtic’s wage structure.
So we’ll see how the upcoming season goes first and foremost. Should things be as successful as we all hope they will, it’s certainly a discussion to have next year. But one thing’s for sure, there will be some tough obstacles to negotiate.
In other news, these English Premier League supporters really want Celtic to sign their player.
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