It’s not often these days that quality international players pop up on the transfer market at an affordable fee for Celtic, so when they do, it’s important that the club attempt to make their move.
One player ticking all the boxes right now is Deportivo defender Fabian Schar.
The Spanish side were relegated from La Liga last season and as The Evening Chronicle reports, that means that Schar can leave the club for just £3m this summer due to a clause in his contract.
He’s been heavily linked with a move to Newcastle say the paper, but that shouldn’t stop Celtic from showing serious interest in the coming weeks, with the defensive line in Brendan Rodgers’ side clearly a priority.
Jozo Simunovic’s suspension from UEFA Champions League qualifying has highlighted again the lack of depth in defence at the club, with Dedryck Boyata and Mikael Lustig also missing due to their post-World Cup breaks.
Kristoffer Ajer is showing significant potential but with the jury out on Jack Hendry and Marvin Compper mostly missing since joining in January, at least one more first-team centre-back is required in most supporters’ eyes.
Schar was most recently seen at the World Cup himself, starting three matches in the group stages before his Switzerland side eventually went out to Sweden in the last 16.
A 42-cap international with the Swiss, the 6ft 1in defender also has UEFA Champions League experience at Basel, alongside spells in Bundesliga and La Liga. That kind of experience is an absolute bargain at £3m and still just 26 years of age, he’s a playing coming into his prime.
Wages would undoubtedly be an issue but if the club want to progress in Europe then splashing out a bit extra for one or two proven, first-team quality players should be a priority given the resources currently available.
This is a potential deal that the club should at the very least be investigating thoroughly.
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