Gordon in Celts stand-off
Conte bid for keeper goes to the wire
Celtic face a stand-off in their bid to tie down Craig Gordon – with the keeper keen to keep his options open as long as Chelsea are in the hunt.
The Hoops are set to rush through contract talks within the next 48 hours before the transfer window closes.
They had plannned to speak to the Scotland No.1 in March but are now determined to pre-empt a second Chelsea bid after knocking back a £ 3mi l lion offer from the Premier League leaders.
Gordon has six months left on his current deal with a year’s option on the same cash which the club wil l tr igger automatically. Manager Brendan Rodge rs and chief executive Peter Lawwell now want to meet Gordon’s advisers to table an offer they believe will tempt him to commit his future to the club. However, it’s believed the goalie still expects Blues boss A nt on io Conte to come back in before
Tuesday’s deadline with another offer. And until that’s no longer an option he won’t put pen to paper.
Despite the opportunity to double his money and the length of his current deal at Celtic the 34- year- old believes he has unfinished business in England after his spell at Sunderland was wrecked by injury.
Conte wants Gordon as back-up to Thibaut Courtois with current No. 2 Asmir Begovic – understood to be earning more than £50,000 a week – expected to join Bournemouth for £10m.
But Gordon still feels it’s an opportunity to make an impact at a club where he could play Champions League football after loving it with Celtic this season.
Meanwhile, Celts have been hit by a second snub in their bid to snap up Nigerian striker Henry Onyekuru.
The 19-year-old, dazzling in Belgium with Eupen, went AWOL last week as he agitated for a move. But despite a second attempt by Lawwell to do a deal he has been rebuf fed by the Liege-based side’s director general Ivan Bravo.
Celtic are not expected to make a third offer although it’s understood Lawwell has kept the l ines of communications open.
Eboue Kouassi is the only January arrival and boss Rodgers admitted: “The squad won’t be as I want it by the end of the window.
“If we don’t get the players I want, through not being available, then OK. I’ll have to wait until the summer in order to do the next bit.”