Three clubs want to sign wantaway Celtic star in January

Three clubs are interested in signing Celtic star who wants to leave the club in the upcoming January transfer window.

It has been rumoured for months that a number of stars want to leave Celtic in the near future. There are usual suspects like Odsonne Edouard, Olivier Ntcham and Ryan Christie, who are reportedly targeting big money moves.

One name that has not been mentioned much though is that of Hatem Abd Elhamed. Thus, it came out of the blue when it emerged that the Israeli international had grown homesick in Glasgow without his family and wanted to leave the club in January in order to reunite with his wife and young son.

That is a genuine concern for any professional footballer and it is likely that the Hoops will allow him to leave if they can find a replacement at right-back. And according to The Scottish Sun, three clubs are interested in acquiring the services of Elhamed. The three clubs in question are Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa and Beitar Jerusalem.

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Elhamed joined Celtic last summer and started the season as the first choice right-back at the club. But a series of injuries and the emergence of Jeremie Frimpong have meant that he has lost his place in the team.

He still remains an important member of the squad though. The versatile defender is capable of playing at both centre-back and right-back, something that is very valuable to Neil Lennon. And while he has never shone in the Hoops, his performances have at least been consistent when given the chance.

It will be interesting to see what happens in January. The club will be looking to get back as much as they can of the £1.6 million transfer fee that they paid Hapoel Be’er Sheva. But in this financial climate, a loan deal with an option to buy at the end of the season could be the more likely route.