DUFFY COULD SEAL CELTIC DEAL IN IRELAND

SHANE DUFFY could complete his loan move to Celtic before flying to Bulgaria with the Republic of Ireland’s national team. As Sportsmail first revealed, the Brighton central defender is set to pen a seasonlong switch to Parkhead.

With Stephen Kenny’s squad preparing to travel to Sofia for Thursday’s Nations League clash, however, a tight schedule could see the 28-year-old undergo medical checks at the Irish FA training camp rather than in Glasgow before putting pen to paper remotely. Speaking after Sunday’s 3-0 win over Motherwell, Celtic manager Neil Lennon promised new signings during the international break.

And Duffy could be signed and sealed in time to focus fully on the international double-header with the Bulgarians and Finland. The rugged central defender also had interest from West Ham and West Bromwich Albion. Duffy has been warned by manager Graham Potter that his game time at Brighton could be limited by the emergence of academy product Ben White, and Brighton’s chief executive Paul Barber has admitted he can go. ‘Shane

has been absolutely magnificent for us,’ said Barber. ‘He is a massive character on the pitch, he is an even bigger character off the pitch. He is loved by everyone at the club. ‘It is a difficult decision for Graham (Potter) because there are only so many centre-backs you can accommodate in one line-up, but Shane has been magnificent. ‘We will be disappointed if we do lose him, but we also understand he wants to play football.’