Former Celtic star and current Sky Sports pundit Kris Commons claims that the Hoops are hopeful they can secure the permanent signing of Fraser Forster from Southampton, writing in his Scottish Daily Mail column (16/12 print edition, Verdict supplement page 16).
Past stars at Celtic Park aren’t often in the habit of breaking transfer stories but Commons feels confident enough about his latest claims to publish them this week.
As we know, Forster has been hugely important to our season. Right now he has a very strong chance of being considered Neil Lennon’s best signing of the summer transfer window.
However, only on loan, he’s due to return to England at the end of the current campaign.
Commons though thinks a deal could be in the offing, despite wages being a hurdle, stating that both Celtic and Forster are keen on an agreement.
As quoted by The Scottish Daily Mail (16/12 print edition, Verdict supplement page 16), he said: “It would send shockwaves through Scottish football if Celtic could clinch a deal to sign Fraser Forster permanently. It would be a blockbuster signing and a huge statement of intent from the club. It should be a matter of urgency to get it done as soon as possible.
“The stumbling block isn’t necessarily the transfer fee. Celtic have shown with the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Christopher Jullien that they don’t mind spending a few quid on the right player.
“The issue has always been the fact that they just can’t match Forster’s basic wage at Southampton, which is in the region of £70,000 per week. But it’s my understanding that Celtic are hopeful of structuring a deal to make it happen.”
The former attacking midfielder also goes on to say that it’s his understanding that Forster would happily end his career at the club, if offered a long-term contract, claiming that the goalkeeper would sign such a deal ‘in a heartbeat’.
Exciting comments
Commons’ claims are certainly bold but it’s also undeniable that the prospect of signing Forster permanently is massively exciting, especially if he’s ready to commit the rest of his career to the club.
He’s been an absolute monster between the sticks for us this term and a massive improvement on other options such as Scott Bain and Craig Gordon.
He almost single-handedly won us the Scottish League Cup and played a massive part in two European victories over Lazio.
Commons is right, signing him would be a huge statement of intent. It’s also guaranteed to not go down too well with our rivals considering his supreme derby display.
The fact that the self-described Sky Sports pundit is a former teammate of Forster does lend a bit of credibility to his claims.
Hopefully, this is something the club are working towards and we get more news when the transfer window opens next month.
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