‘Shane has made it clear’; Paper source close to talks provides hope on Duffy to Celtic

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Shane Duffy has made it clear to parties involved in discussions between Celtic and Brighton that the fact he is a huge Hoops fan will play a big factor in his decision on where to play this season, The Daily Record reported on Monday.

Duffy has been linked with a move to the Scottish Premiership over the last couple of weeks, with The Scottish Mail on Sunday reporting at the weekend (16/08 print edition, back page) that he was ‘at odds’ with the Seagulls, who want to sell him to a Premier League side.

Celtic’s interest is on a loan basis, which is said by the Mail on Sunday to potentially cost as much as £2m for the season.

A source cited by The Daily Record, close to negotiations, said: “Shane has made it clear that he’s a massive Celtic supporter and that could make all the difference in terms of his decision. If he did chose Celtic then it would be more of a romantic notion rather than a financial decision.”

However, there is a dose of reality attached to the comments, with the Record’s contact going on state: “Celtic are certainly part of the conversation but there is also a realisation that this will be a very difficult deal to do because it’s impossible to compete with the wages on offer in the English Premier League.”

Celtic’s need for a defender this summer is pretty clear, with Neil Lennon potentially moving back to a 3-5-2 formation and there already being a lack of natural depth at centre-half.

Duffy, a physical and committed Republic of Ireland international, fits the profile of someone who can come in and make an immediate impact.

We spoke to Celtic legend Jackie McNamara on our YouTube channel yesterday about the potential move and what it’s like to be a Bhoys fan in the dressing room, which you can view below.

McNamara told us that Duffy adds aggression currently missing from the Celtic pairing of Kristoffer Ajer and Christopher Jullien.

Ultimately the motivations surrounding this potential deal could be driven by money, but there seems to be a real willingness on Duffy’s part to pull on the Hoops.

Hopefully the negotiation team at Celtic can work their magic find a way forward that suits everyone for the coming season.

In other news, Celtic target Ivan Toney has made it clear that he wants to leave League One.