DONE DEAL: Celtic Finally concluded to sign “superb” new player in big-money transfer – report

He just showed Brendan Rodgers what he’s capable of.

Joe Hart, the goalkeeper for Celtic, has declared his retirement at the end of the current campaign,

giving manager Brendan Rodgers a clear focus going into the summer transfer window.

This season, Hart has been the Hoops’ constant presence; the only player to play more minutes in all competitions is captain Callum McGregor.

Celtic – most minutes played 23/24
Rank	Player	Pos	Mins
1	Callum McGregor	MID	3,097
2	Joe Hart	GK	3,088
3	Matt O’Riley	MID	3,032
4	Liam Scales	DEF	2,970
5	Greg Taylor	DEF	2,756
6	Kyogo Furuhashi	FWD	2,522
7	Alistair Johnston	DEF	2,347
8	Daizen Maeda	FWD	1,894
9	Luis Palma	FWD	1,732
10	Cameron Carter-Vickers	DEF	1,419

Since coming back to Parkhead in the summer of last year, Rodgers has demonstrated very little faith in his backup goalkeeper choices.

Only two appearances by Scott Bain occurred after Hart was sent off in a 3-0 victory against Livingston in September.

Benjamin Siegrist only saw action from the bench during Hart’s absence.

They were not even allowed to participate in the cup match that took place last month against Buckie Thistle, a Highland League team.

Rodgers will therefore most likely look to add a new top scorer, and Caoimhin Kelleher of Liverpool may be among the leading contenders.

This January, it was claimed that Celtic was considering a loan-to-buy option for the Irishman,

who is prepared to leave Anfield at the end of the current campaign.

Celtic will have to stump up “big money” for Kelleher

Now, in a fresh Kelleher to Celtic update on Monday, Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke reports that the Scottish Premiership title-chasers

“would love” to get a deal done in the off-season, but it won’t be easy.

After his recent run in the team without the injured Alisson, Celtic will need to pay “a big-money fee” to Liverpool in order to come to an agreement.

It might also be “tough” to persuade him to turn down suitors in the Premier League.

“Superb” Kelleher just inflated price tag

Kelleher just displayed his quality with a magnificent performance in the Carabao Cup final as Liverpool beat Chelsea 1-0 after extra time.

While it may only intensify Rodgers’ desire to get a deal done, the same can be said of other interested parties, and the Reds now have grounds to increase their demands.

Six of Kelleher’s nine saves during the game came from inside the box, and the advanced analytics shows even more outstanding results.

Despite facing 2.95 anticipated goals on target, the 25-year-old was able to maintain a clean sheet—a feat that has only been accomplished

four times in the last seven years in the major five leagues in Europe.

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