Celtic recruitment guru Nick Hammond scouted Kilmarnock defender Greg Taylor and gave him a ‘glowing report’, The Daily Record report.
Interest from the Hoops has also been backed by Scotland national team boss Steve Clarke, say the paper, who was of course his previous manager at Kilmarnock.
It comes as the two clubs are apparently a distance apart in their valuation of the left-back.
It’s stated that Celtic value him at around £1m, while Killie are keen to hold out for as much as £3m for the player.
That’s not very surprising when it comes to the Hoops’ negotiation with Scottish Premiership rivals.
However, with less than a week to go until the end of the transfer window, there is now a real urgency to land our big targets.
That’s especially true if they are garnering praise from the people we have tasked with aiding recruitment this summer.
What should Celtic do next?
What would be the point in appointing Nick Hammond if we do not then go out and pay a reasonable fee for players he recommends?
Celtic of course shouldn’t be bullied into paying inflated fees for players, but £3m is not a stiff asking price for a stand-out in the Scottish top-flight these days.
Taylor has proven he can perform well at domestic level and is now also a Scotland international. Making his debut against Belgium in June, he has again been called up to Clarke’s side for matches next month.
Having just banked £25m for Kieran Tierney, Killie are well within their rights to seek £3m for his international back-up.
We don’t have the luxury of stalling all week here.
Neil Lennon is already on record saying he was hoping to include new players on this week’s trip to Sweden. The manager is clearly eager to get players embedded as quickly as possible.
Those holding the purse strings at Celtic Park need to do the business required.
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