It’s getting really loud when people talk about Celtic transfers, because the Scottish transfer window opens tomorrow.
The manager, Brendan Rodgers, wants to improve his team, and he will need help in one area in particular.
Joe Hart’s retirement has left a huge hole in the Celtic team, and Brendan Rodgers is reportedly interested in Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka. How much would the Slovakian Euro 2024 first-choice goalie cost?
Newcastle can still get a good deal for the 35-year-old goalkeeper since he still has a year left on his deal. But because the Tyneside club has to follow England’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, it might be easier to reach a deal with the Premier League club than we think.
To find out, I talked to Adam Williams, a football finance expert, about how FFP rules in England could help Celtic’s possible chase of Dubravka. What he told me was very interesting.
Since 2017, Dubravka has been at Newcastle and has played 163 times for The Magpies. The Slovakian only played twice during his season-long loan at Manchester United in 2022 before going back to St. James’ Park.
But now that Nick Pope is ahead of him, Dubravka has been told he can leave Newcastle, and Williams says Celtic could get him for as little as £1m.
Williams said, “Newcastle has lost a total of £155 million over the last three years, which is a lot more than the £105 million mark on paper.”
Because of PSR-deductible Covid add-backs and building spending, they followed PSR for the past three years. However, they are one of only a few clubs that is currently worried about a possible breach.
“I think Newcastle will want to get players like Dubravka off their books before June 30th more than they would want to get rid of their star players.”
“They will be less likely to be held hostage in negotiations for their more valuable assets if they can make up the PSR deficit with sales that they see as less important.”
The only question is whether the English club thinks they have enough players in the top bracket that can be sold to make this a good plan.
“I think Dubravka, who is now 35 years old, won’t get more than £1m, and Newcastle’s negotiating team won’t put him at the top of their list of priorities over the summer.”
“That’s good news for Celtic.”
What a great deal Celtic got when they spent £1 million on a goalie the last time. Joe Hart played for Parkhead for three years and won seven awards.
If Celtic can get Dubravka and he does as well as Hart, it will be another smart move by the club in the transfer market.
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