Celtic’s hopes of signing Alfie Devine could still be alive yet.
That’s despite Preston’s loan move for Devine being expected to become permanent from Tottenham this summer, with the midfielder appearing in 45 of their 46 Championship games last season.
Devine is reportedly on Celtic’s shortlist this summer — Martin O’Neill and Mark Fotheringham paid Preston a visit to watch their clash with QPR earlier this year.
If PNE can’t close the deal, he will be a man in demand — but journalist Alan Nixon has pointed to a major Celtic advantage in the race.
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Celtic still in Alfie Devine race, but deal ‘not cheap’
Speaking on X on Monday, Nixon — typically an excellent source on all things EFL — revealed that Preston’s deadline to sign Devine is midnight on Tuesday, June 30th.
The journo said that if they don’t finalise their agreement by then, Celtic could come in.
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Preston’s option to buy Devine is worth £4.5 million rising to £6 million, but any other club would need to renegotiate a price with Spurs.
Nixon noted that this would not be a cheap deal — however, stressed that the player’s agents have “strong links” to Celtic and Spurs.
Among their fellow clients are Shaun Maloney, Kyogo Furuhashi and Luis Palma — their partnership with the club flourished during the tenure of Ange Postecoglou, of whom they played a part in the appointment.
Nixon concluded that he would become “suspicious” over Devine’s future “if it’s not done with Preston [on Tuesday] at midnight”.
One of the highest-rated Spurs academy products of recent years, he managed eight goals and eight assists from midfield this season.
He has proven a success story of the club’s policy of loaning players out, excelling in spells at Leyton Orient and KVC Westerlo prior to his time at Preston.
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Midfielders expected to leave Celtic this summer
After serious interest in January, Arne Engels is now expected to leave Celtic, with a host of European clubs chasing the 22-year-old.
Reo Hatate was left out of the matchday squad for the final two games of the season, with the writing seemingly on the wall regarding his future. Paulo Bernardo is also completely out of favour.
A stellar debut season by Benjamin Nygren is also generating interest, and a rapid exit hasn’t been ruled out for the Hoops’ top scorer.
Even captain Callum McGregor hasn’t ruled out an exit, whilst Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s contract is now up.
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