‘TIC TARGET COULD GET TURK AWAY
BY MIRROR REPORTER
CELTIC could be priced out of the market after Saudi Arabian moneybags Al-ahli enquired about Turkish transfer target Ugurcan Cakir.
The Trabzonspor skipper (above) was linked with a £7.5million move to Celtic this summer.
But it was reported the Turks are looking closer to £12m for the 28-year-old keeper who has won 27 caps and been with his club for 10 years. Now Al-ahli have entered the race and would have no problem finding the money to meet Trabzonspor’s asking price for Cakir who has previously been linked to clubs in Europe but has remained in Turkey with Trabzonspor.
But the goalie has decided to move away from the troubled world of Turkish football, with a fan attempting to challenge him on the pitch last week during a game against Konyaspor.
Al-ahli’s German boss Matthias Jaissle is an admirer of Cakir and could make his move this summer with money little object to the Saudi club.
Daizen Maeda (inset) missed training yesterday with Callum Mcgregor only taking part in some of the session ahead of tomorrow’s clash with St Mirren. Captain Mcgregor was only able to play a small part in the Old Firm, coming on for the last 20 minutes or so after missing four games with an Achilles problem.
Cameron Carter-vickers, Reo Hatate and Luis Palma, who have all had injury problems, were able to complete the full training with their teammates and under the watchful eye of manager Brendan Rodgers.
Meanwhile, the Hoops won’t automatically qualify for the group stage of the 2025/26 Champions League should they win the title after Scotland dropped out the top 10 of UEFA coefficient rankings.
The Czech Republic have snatched the final spot thanks to Plzen’s 0-0 first leg draw with Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League.
Celtic finished bottom of their Champions League group but a draw with Atletico Madrid and victory over Feyenoord added points to the board.
Rangers’ 3-2 win at Real Betis and 2-2 draw in Lisbon offered hope but a 1-0 loss at Ibrox ended Scottish Euro hopes.