Celtic set to deal in scott
Celtic
are set to hand Scott Bain a pre-old Firm boost by granting his wish of a permanent deal ahead of the Scottish Cup semi-finals.
The on-loan Dundee keeper is a free agent at the end of the season and already has offers in place, including one from Hibs, his previous loan employers before the Hoops, and a number of English club.
Celtic have yet to show their hand, but it is understood they want to keep him, and plan to make their move in the next week to 10 days. With staying put Bain’s preferred option, an announcement is expected before the clash with Rangers at Hampden a fortnight today.
Celtic are ready to grant goalkeeper Scott Bain his wish of a long-term deal. The Hoops picked up the 26-year-old on loan from Dundee in the January window as part of a three-way deal, which saw Scott Allan return to Hibs and Simon Murray switch to Dundee.
It was an emergency measure forced on them by a serious knee injury sustained by regular No. 1 Craig Gordon just before the winter break.
Interestingly, too, he was not their first choice.
Brendan Rodgers originally tried to sign Motherwell’s Trevor Carson outright. However, with their bid of £375,000 knocked back by the Steelmen they chose to extend their search. Bain, a former joiner, proved his worth, though, when starring on his debut in the Old Firm fixture, a full six months after his last top-team appearance.
That was for parent club Dundee, prior to his fall out with manager Neil Mccann.
Since then he has kept the jersey ahead of Dutchman Dorus de Vries, earning praise from team-mates and manager Brendan Rodgers alike. He needs just one thing to complete the picture – a long-term contract.
A free-agent at the end of the season, he already has offers in place, including one from Hibs, his previous loan employers before the Hoops, and a number of English clubs, with Bristol City and Birmingham both credited with an interest.
His preferred choice, though, is Celtic. And, while they have yet to show their hand, it is understood both that they want to keep him, and plan to make their move in the next week to 10 days.
Given his publicly-stated desire to stay put, an announcement is expected before the Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Rangers at Hampden, a fortnight today.
That would be a timely boost for the player ahead of a game which is likely to prove crucial in terms of Celtic’s bid to win what would be an unprecedented Double Treble.
The move will see Bain compete with Gordon for both club and country, with the former already involved with the Scotland squad.