Scottish giants, Celtic are set to receive a huge blow in their pursuit of Championship full-back Charlie Taylor as the Hoops boss aims to beef up his back line ahead of a challenging season. Leeds United are willing to sell their player to Burnley as per reports, which would make more sense because Celtic getting their hands on him would mean lower compensation for them.
Taylor is a hot prospect in the Premier League this summer especially for the midtable sides like Burnley and West Bromwich Albion. And if an English club would buy him, then the Whites are eligible to receive a bountiful amount in return of a product of their academy, earning something in the region of £10 million if reports are to be believed.
Celtic aren’t bound to pay it, and Leeds United would rather settle for a fee for the player personally to avoid the matter going to the tribunal. Their last season has raised some pretty high standards for the other sides in the Scottish Premiership and arch-rivals Rangers’ aggressive transfer activity is a clear indication of it.
Brendan Rodgers’s task is only going to get tougher from now as every outcome would be compared to their impeccable display last season. And now that Celtic have established their superiority in the domestic league in the best way possible, the next target would definitely be the Champions League.
The Bhoys’ European campaign the last term was a disastrous one as they finished last in the group stages. Although they were in the most difficult group, by all means, their complete humiliation back home demanded an improved performance on the biggest stage; which emphasises the need for immediate improvement at the back.
Celtic have Scotland’s first-choice Kieran Tierney in the left back’s role and while he has been brilliant, Rodgers has a real problem getting a potential back-up for him. 31-year-old Emilio Izaguirre is definitely not the one and Celtic are on the search for a better option for quite some time now.
The 23-year-old York-born player is willing to test himself at a higher level now after a successful season with Leeds the last term and Celtic are all eyes. He is almost a regular for the side playing 32 matches in all competitions and registering four assists for them.
The Leeds academy product has had numerous loan stints with teams like York City, Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC and Fleetwood Town before getting the big break in 2014. His previous stint at Scotland was a forgettable one as he got only seven chances, and Rodgers would hope he gets a better playing time now.
