da casino： [ad_pod ]
da bet7： Spanish side Alaves are interested in signing Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic, according to The Scottish Sun.
What’s the story?
The Croatian centre-back has had his ups and downs at the Hoops over the year and this season has found himself both on the fringes of Brendan Rodgers’ first-team squad and a crucial part of Neil Lennon’s side.
The paper say that the La Liga outfit are keen on adding him to their squad this summer and could make a move with a £4m bid.
The interest comes with Celtic struggling for numbers at centre-back right now.
Dedryck Boyata has signed a contract with Hertha Berlin, while Filip Benkovic is due to head back to parent club Leicester City.
The seven-figure fee for Simunovic may prove tempting for the Hoops but they can’t think about selling him given the current situation.
Why so important?
The jury may be out on the defender’s long-term future at Celtic Park but the club simply don’t have enough time to sign the defensive bodies required to navigate this summer’s difficult European qualifiers.
If Simunovic left it would mean just Kristoffer Ajer and Marvin Compper remained at the club and the latter has shown no sign of being capable for selection.
A lack of forward planning has left the Hoops already behind when it comes to being well stocked in defence and selling Simunovic without replacements ready to step in would be a crazy move that shouldn’t even be considered.