Celtic are plotting a move to sign Tottenham Hotspur starlet Alfie Devine as they aim to accelerate their transfer plans, after Championship side Preston missed their chance to snap up the midfielder on a permanent deal.
The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at North End, where his impressive performances caught the eye of a number of clubs in the EFL and Scotland.
Preston actually activated their option-to-buy on Devine in early June, but that came with a July 1 deadline which has now passed, leaving doubts that the deal will be wrapped up.
To that end, it’s opened the door to other clubs to move for the player, despite Tottenham remaining in contact with Preston over Devine’s next move.
As reported by Football Insider, Celtic boss Martin O’Neill is a big fan of the midfield talent, with Hoops scouts having made multiple trips to Deepdale to watch Devine in action for Preston over the last six months.
The report adds that Celtic are now prepared to step up their interest, with Tottenham’s moves this summer opening the door for a definitive Devine exit.
Spurs have already snapped up Mateus Fernandes from West Ham and are on the brink of securing the £100million signing of Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali too.
That leaves the futures of the likes of Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Sarr in doubt, while Devine also comes into that category as player who will give Tottenham pure profit on his sale.
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FI adds that O’Neill has been playing a key role in Celtic’s transfer plans since before he landed the permanent job, and could now push them to accelerate their interest in Devine.
Indeed, speaking on his Transfer Insider podcast, FI‘s Pete O’Rourke said: “Alfie Devine is a player that Celtic have been tracking for a while.
“Martin O’Neill and his coaching staff have made regular scouting trips to watch Devine in action for Preston last season.
“He’s a very good young player, he’s gone back to Tottenham now and it does look like Tottenham would be open to letting him leave on a permanent basis for the right offer.
“Martin O’Neill will be hoping to get backing from the Celtic board to strengthen the squad because they’ve had a slow start to the market so far.
“If there’s opportunity to sign Devine, it’s something that he would hope the club would go forward with because he ticks a lot of boxes for Celtic.
“He’s still only 21, player with huge potential for development as well. And it’s an area of the team that Celtic are definitely going to have to add to in the summer.”