Celtic’s £3.5million player who won’t play for club again as interested party told price they can expect to pay

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Celtic were accused of acting lightly in the January transfer window.

Brendan Rodgers wanted a striker but that never came to fruition despite Kyogo leaving for Rennes in an unsuccessful attempt – so far, anyway – to boost his Japan chances.

It means the summer window will likely be a vital one for the club with a hitman to arrive and compete with Adam Idah and Daizen Maeda as well as other positions on the pitch including a centre-half.

Maik Nawrocki has failed to establish himself while Stephen Welsh is currently out on loan in Belgium. Rodgers has swayed towards his main three stars in that spot in Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty and Liam Scales.

More cover will be needed and money will surely be spent to shore up the defence and recruit strength to compete. But one player who will surely not return to Celtic Park is Gustaf Lagerbielke.

The Swedish defender cost the club around £3.5million from Elfsborg in 2023 but made just nine appearances before he was farmed out.

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Gustaf Lagerbielke could be sold by Celtic for £3m

He is currently doing well at FC Twente and the Eredivisie club hope to keep him permanently beyond his loan stint this campaign as they look to build their own defensive structure.

We told you yesterday how Lagerbielke was wanted by Ajax before he joined Celtic and what was telling in the quotes from former Ajax chief scout Hans van der Zee was that the Dutchman seemed to hint towards Lagerbielke’s current price tag that the Hoops will be looking for.

Van der Zee expects Celtic to demand as much as £3m for their player as they look to try and recoup as much back from his sale as they spent on his services in the first place.

That may not be plausible with Twente perhaps not in a financial position to spend big, but it is a deal that is definitely on the table for both clubs to discuss.

It means it’s likely Lagerbielke has played his final game for the club which might be considered unfortunate, simply down to how professional he was before his loan exit was sanctioned.

What Brendan Rodgers has said about Lagerbielke

Rodgers has always praised his mindset and work ethic even if the Irishman has not been convinced with his talents on the pitch.

At the time, before Lager’s move, Rodgers said: “It just all depends. Gus has shown a terrific attitude. He didn’t get so much game time last season but he’s got his head down,” the gaffer said on the player’s future before he moved to Netherlands.

“He had the chance to go on loan in January but we needed to keep him due to the injuries we had in that position. But he’s worked very hard over pre-season and we’ll see what happens.

“You see the players are happy and working well, but all players want to play. If they can’t get the game time with us, they may look elsewhere. In this moment, he’s working very hard, and when he is asked, he comes in and does well.”