Ben Davies signs pre-contract at Celtic and Bhoys now want him to join in January

By John McGinley

January 28, 2021

Celtic are making a push to sign Ben Davies before the end of the January transfer window, The Scottish Sun report.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has reported he has signed for the club on a pre-contract basis.

https://twitter.com/AnthonyRJoseph/status/1354811982528974851

However, now it’s also being reported by The Scottish Sun that there is a drive from the Celtic end to get the deal done sooner rather than later. However, we’d have to pay a fee for a January transfer.

Celtic need options after an injury to Christopher Jullien ruled him out for most of the season.

With Jeremie Frimpong also exiting the club, Kristoffer Ajer is expected to continue at right-back, meaning another option has been taken away from central defence.

Clubs such as Sheffield United, Bournemouth and Genk have all been keen on signing Davies [The Daily Mail].

We’ve been struggling to get deals over the line of late. Thankfully we’ve managed to do the business here.

Ben Davies to Celtic

Davies plays at centre-back primarily but can slot in the left too. He’s been a regular at Preston this term as they push for a playoff spot in the second-tier.

He’s made over 200 career appearances in English League Two, One and the Championship. That hopefully given him the right grounding and experience to make a step up to the pressures of Celtic.

Still 25, Davies also has the room to grow and improve in his position.

Celtic target Ben Davies / (Photo by Kevin Barnes – CameraSport via Getty Images)

If Celtic can get this deal done quickly, it will give us time to go on and find a right-sided defender after Frimpong’s exit.

That will provide us with enough defensive cover until the likely exit of Ajer this summer. We’ll no doubt be on the hunt for another central defender then.

In other news, Jack Ross has provided a transfer update on Celtic target Josh Doig.