Champs are Barkas mad

Hoops ramp up bid for keeper Vasilios

CELTIC are in talks with AEK Athens after stepping up their move for £6.5million-rated goalkeeper Vasilios Barkas.

Record Sport understands the Greece international, left, is high on the target list, with a bid to re-sign Fraser Forster from

Southampton having faltered.

Sources in Greece claim Celtic have had a first bid of £3.5m rising by another £1m in add-ons turned down as AEK attempt to start an auction for their outgoing 26-year-old shot-stopper.

Montpellier and Leeds are also understood to be monitoring the situation and it’s believed the personal terms which would be on offer at Celtic are acceptable to the Dutch-born No.1 and his advisors as he seeks his next challenge after four years in Athens.

AEK want to get at least £6.5m but it is believed an offer in the region of £5m could be enough to tempt them into a sale as they have already decided the keeper is going and they are also desperately seeking much-needed funds to make alterations to their squad.

Record Sport reported last month that AEK major backer Dimitris Melissanidis and technical director Ilia Ivic held a meeting in the middle of lockdown where it was decided that selling Barkas would be a key way to offset recent frustrating hits to the club’s coffers.

AEK have suffered a tough spell with suspended sentences, fines and crowd bans from UEFA for fan trouble at European games while Covid-19 also shut Greek football down for three months.

Celtic are assessing a number of possibilities with other options on the table after Forster initially rejected the chance to return.

While there is still faint hope of a late U-turn from the Englishman after the clubs agreed a loan-to-buy deal a month ago, Celtic boss Neil Lennon needs a keeper soon and Barkas is firmly on the radar.