Celtic want the best ready-made players but also have one eye on bringing in talents they can develop and sell on in the future.
Moussa Dembele, Matt O’Riley and Nicolas Kuhn are all prime examples of young talents that have joined Celtic and been sold on for big profits.
Plying your trade at Scotland’s most successful club and winning trophies sets you up for a move to the Premier League or another top five European league.
Brendan Rodgers had eyes on Veljko Milosavljevic of Red Star Belgrade to do exactly that but the Serbian club’s recent transfer activity may have put an end to any slim hopes of signing him.
Red Star Belgrade sell two bright youngsters to get huge pay day
Red Star are known for developing some of the best young talents in Serbia, as proved by Milosavljevic.
In recent days, the one-time European Cup winners have sold young duo Lazar Jovanovic and Andrija Maksimovic to Stuttgart and RB Leipzig respectively.
Maksimovic is the biggest sale, going for a reported fee of £14m and will boost the finances of Red Star handsomely, while Jovanovic is believed to have been sold for £5m.
Not only does this help Red Star, it also affects Celtic.
Red Star surely won’t sell Veljko Milosavljevic to Celtic
Milosavljevic has already been handed a route to the first team by Red Star and is now one of the first names considered for the centre-back slot.
Rodgers has hinted at more signings and it seems clear that a left-sided centre-back to partner Cameron Carter-Vickers is a necessity.
The 17-year-old fits that bill perfectly but these two sales seem to suggest that Serbia’s top dogs will play hardball with any advances and not allow any other promising individuals to leave.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
