Celtic and their pursuit of a goalkeeper is likely to dominate transfer headlines surrounding the Bhoys this summer.
All good things must come to an end, and that includes Joe Hart’s three-year spell in Glasgow, with the Englishman set to retire from professional football at the end of the campaign.
Nevertheless, the former England international is keen to go out on a positive note at Parkhead, as he stated earlier this week: “We work really hard through the week to have a way of playing and to have solutions when people do make it tough for us. So we just need to rely on the hard work we have done all season and come good at the right time.”
Overall, Hart has featured on 161 occasions for Celtic, keeping 61 clean sheets and claiming five winners medals in the process [Transfermarkt]. Once this season concludes, identifying a successor for the veteran will take precedence under Brendan Rodgers.
So far, the likes of Werder Bremen’s Michael Zetterer, RC Waalwijk stopper Ettiene Vaessen and Middlesbrough’s Tom Glover have all been linked with a switch to the reigning Scottish Premiership champions.
Trabzonspor goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir is also reportedly being eyed by Celtic. The club have sought talks with his management and lawyers and a Zoom call between the player and Rodgers. It is mooted he would cost in the region of £7.5 million, though this is merely a suggestion at this point.
Ugurcan Cakir’s future in focus amid Trabzonspor transfer claim
According to claims from Turkish publication InternetHaber, Trabzonspor and Cakir will part ways in the summer, and Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir has agreed to join the Super Lig outfit as his replacement for a fee in the region of £2.6 million.
The report claims that Bayindir will return to his homeland after failing to settle at Old Trafford, though from a wider Celtic point of view, if these developments do come to fruition, our pursuit of Cakir may be set for further airtime in the coming weeks.
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Across 2023/24, Cakir has featured 30 times in the Turkish top flight, conceding 39 times and recording a save percentage of 70.3% from 118 shots on target [FBRef].
Celtic fans will be desperate for clarity over who the future number one at the club could be, though we will need to wait and see what transpires as the transfer window approaches.