According to a report in The Daily Record, Celtic have – this morning – knocked back a bid from Hearts to take keeper Craig Gordon back to Tynecastle.
There has been mounting speculation over the last couple of days that Gordon was looking to engineer an exit from Parkhead after having his playing time severely restricted following the addition of Fraser Forster on loan from Southampton in the summer.
The BBC understands that Gordon is keen on a return to Edinburgh, where he started his professional career making 97 league appearances before his form earned him a £9m move to Sunderland becoming the most expensive goalkeeper in Britain at the time of the signing.
The 37-year-old has made just 6 appearances in total and 1 in the last four months making him a peripheral figure at the club, it is believed that he still has aspirations of regaining his place in the national team and the 54 times capped stopper will be hoping he can secure first-team football so that he can attempt to force his way into Steve Clarke’s plans prior to the Nations League play-off against Israel in March.
Gordon has been a solid for servant for Celtic in his five and a half years at the club and will feel that he deserves to be treated with more respect given the stage of his career and his career aspirations.
Should Celtic let Craig Gordon leave for Hearts?
Yes
No
With no sign of the former Hoops number one being offered a new contract and with both Forster and Scott Bain ahead of him in the Parkhead pecking order, there could yet be room for the move to be made for the benefit of all parties.
It would be a sad way for such a previously influential figure to end his career in Glasgow were it to be spent sitting in the stands rather than on the pitch where is abilities would still rank him as one of the best keepers in Scotland.