Celtic look set to miss out on Jari de Busser.
The blow comes a few weeks after it was first reported that Celtic have made Go Ahead Eagles Aware of their interest in De Busser.
A goalkeeper is a necessity for the Hoops this summer after the retirement of Kasper Schmeichel, regardless of the status of Viljami Sinisalo in the pecking order.
But looks like we can already rule one option out in De Busser.
Would Jari de Busser come in as Celtic’s first-choice goalkeeper?
Jari de Busser ‘on his way to AZ Alkmaar’
According to Dutch journo Sander Janssen, De Busser is leaving GA Eagles, bur is remaining in the Netherlands with AZ.
He has already agreed a contract with the club.
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The Belgian will come in as competition for highly-rated 21-year-old AZ keeper Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro.
AZ’s interest is ironic, as it was De Busser’s penalty shootout heroics that denied them in the KNVP Cup Final against Go Ahead last year.
GA Eagles have already announced the signing of Kjetil Haug on a free transfer from Toulouse as De Busser’s goalkeeping replacement.
This season, no goalkeeper in the Dutch top-flight has registered better underlying shot-stopping numbers than de Busser.
His teammate, 22-year-old Danish midfielder Jakob Breum, is also of interest to the Hoops, who chased him so publicly last summer.
A goalkeeper appears to be a priority for Celtic’s recruitment department this summer, with Nikolas Polster also being linked with the Hoops.
Motherwell stopper Calum Ward is also reportedly of interest, along with his club teammates Elijah Just, Tawanda Maswanhise and Elliot Watt.
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Jari de Busser has asked Celtic to come forward
De Busser has already told the media that he is simply waiting for his next club to come forward amid all the transfer speculation.
He said: “The plan is for me to take the next step. I have said it before, and it is also being done in consultation with the club.
“They are aware of the situation, and we discussed it before this season. But well, a club has to come forward first.”
De Busser is 6 ft 3 in tall, and started his career in his native Belgium. He wasn’t a starting goalkeeper at any level until his mid-20s.
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