Shane Duffy touched on signing for Celtic last year, has been keeping his fingers crossed

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As the Shane Duffy to Celtic story continues to circulate, it wasn’t actually too long ago he openly admitted he hoped to one day sign for the Hoops.

With Celtic having continuous defensive lapses, particularly against powerful strikers, another centre-back or two would certainly go down well with the fans.

Brighton man Duffy looks like being a priority in that regard. The Scottish Mail on Sunday (16/08, page 156) reported that Celtic were the Irishman’s preferred destination in a potential loan deal. However, it looks as though the Hoops will have competition from Leeds United for his signature.

Yet that wouldn’t be the first time he’s told someone of his hopes of a move up north. Back in March 2019, Duffy published Q&A answers on his Instagram story (Scottish Sun).

When asked if he wanted to play for Celtic in the future, Duffy replied: “Maybe one day” along with a fingers crossed emoji.

He also had a little dig at rivals Rangers too after he was asked who he supported out of the two. He didn’t leave the question up in the air when he replied: “Who’s Rangers?”.

Duffy comes with the pedigree Celtic require

Celtic already needed a replacement for Jozo Simunovic after he left the club at the end of his contract this summer. However, the mistakes from Christopher Jullien and Kris Ajer have only heightened that necessity.

When it comes to additions, Celtic don’t need any more projects. A real-deal centre-back is now a must, and Duffy would represent that type of signing.

The experienced defender has just under 100 Premier League games under his belt as well as 132 English Championship appearances too. With Ireland, he’s played on 33 occasions and has also filled in as captain in the past (Transfermarkt).

Given he’s made it clear where his allegiances lie once before, it’s not surprising he’s reportedly keen on a Parkhead switch. Both parties could do wonders for each other.

For now, we wait to see whether Duffy joins or not. But there’s a reason this potential deal has plenty of Celtic fans excited.

In other news, we have a go with our predicted XI for this Tuesday night’s Champions League qualifier against KR Reykjavik.