It seems the interest in Celtic defender Carl Starfelt is pretty intense this month, meaning it may well be the best time to sell the Swedish international.
Spartak Moscow are the only named club said to be keen on Starfelt’s services this summer but a new report from The Daily Record indicates that multiple teams in England and around Europe are looking at him as a potential option.
Nobody likes to see first-team performers leave in a hurry, especially those who have been integral to trophy successes in recent years, but this situation is reminiscent of the Josip Juranovic and Giorgos Giakoumakis exits.
Starfelt is 28, has been here for two years and has two years left on his current contract. If he has indicated he doesn’t want to renew his deal with the Hoops then this is absolutely the right time to cash in.
This may well be the last big contract he signs in his career so he’ll want it to be a lucrative one. But Celtic hold the cards on a departure and will only sell for a decent value.
That doesn’t mean the Swede will be leaving for Jota money, far from it. The fees received are far more likely to be in the lower range which resulted in the transfers of the aforementioned Juranovic and Giakoumakis.
But the more interest from different clubs the better. A bidding war can only be a good thing for Celtic to maximise the value of a Starfelt sale, especially if the teams are in cash-rish divisions such as the English Premier League.
If Starfelt does leave, Celtic will need to strengthen their defensive options again, just weeks after the arrival of Maik Nawrocki. The Bhoys need three quality first-team options available throughout the long, difficult season.
Just as the Bhoys couldn’t go into the campaign with just Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers, Celtic can’t continue with just Nawrocki and Carter-Vickers either.
So whatever is made from the Swede’s departure should be immediately reinvested back into an alternative, just as the club did with Alistair Johnston. An interesting few weeks are undoubtedly ahead in terms of both outgoing and incoming transfers.
In other news, Pleasing Cameron Carter-Vickers update ahead of Celtic season opener vs Ross County.
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