.jpeg?width=1024&auto=webp&quality=75&crop=3%3A2%2Csmart&trim= "Celtic on alert as club face transfer deadline to complete record breaking £4.5m deal - GlasgowWorld")
Scottish Cup winners could pounce if Preston North End can’t get summer move sorted soon.
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Celtic completed a domestic double at the weekend when they beat Dunfermline Athletic at Hampden Park to lift the Scottish Cup.
Martin O’Neill’s side were 3-1 winners on the day to add the historic trophy to the Scottish Premiership title they secured the previous weekend with a dramatic last day decider against Hearts. With their 2025/26 season officially over, the next job will be to put a permanent head coach in place at Celtic Park sooner rather than later.
Once that is sorted they can fully focus on the summer transfer window and bolstering their first team squad ahead of the 2026/27 campaign. Now, an intriguing development has emerged over the future of one player who has recently been linked with a move to the Scottish champions.
EFL club face transfer deadline to complete record breaking £4.5m transfer for Celtic linked Tottenham midfielder
Celtic were linked with a move for 21-year-old Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Alfie Devine earlier this year. The England under 20 international has spent the season on loan with English Football League Championship side Preston North End.
The Lancashire outfit finished 14th out of 24 clubs in England’s second tier last season with Devine a regular in their starting line-up, making 48 appearances in all competitions and scoring eight goals. Now, the Lilywhites have the option to secure the Warrington native on a permanent deal, but there are some key caveats.
Preston reportedly agreed an option to buy in the midfielder’s loan contract from Spurs which will cost them £4.5 million. That sum is significantly higher than the £2.13 million they paid for Montenegrin winger Milutin Osmajić from Cádiz in 2023 which currently stands as their official record transfer.
Not only that, but a new report claims that their is a deadline from them to trigger that option of July 1, 2026. If they do decide to make the move permanent but can’t agree terms with the player before that date then it could open the door for other suitors to join the race for his signature.
Scouting mission by Celtic boss has transfer talk up and running again
Interim Celtic manager Martin O’Neill was in attendance at an EFL Championship clash between Preston North End and Queen’s Park Rangers last month. The match at Deepdale on April 6 ended 1-1 with former St Mirren loanee Thierry Small scoring a late own goal for the home side that ensure a share of the points.
It was reported at the time that Alfie Devine was the centre of O’Neill’s attention that afternoon amid the ongoing links to the Tottenham Hotspur loanee. However, it remains to be seen if the Hoops do follow up their apparent interest in the player this summer.
Devine has been capped by England at under 16, under 19 and under 20 level having come through the youth academies at Wigan Athletic and Liverpool before joining Spurs. He has yet to make a senior appearance for the North London side having spent his entire senior career so far on loan at clubs such as Plymouth Argyle and Port Vale plus Belgian side Westerlo before his most recent stint with Preston.