Celtic handed blow in transfer race for Liam Scales

Rumours emerged a few days earlier that Celtic were closing in on a move for Shamrock Rovers’ highly-rated youngster, Liam Scales. It was believed that the move would break the transfer record for a League of Ireland player.

Since then, the club have managed to bring in both Joe Hart and James McCarthy. But a move for Scales is not over the line yet.

The 22-year-old is very highly-rated and his versatility can be a major factor why the Hoops are interested in signing him. Scales can play at both centre-back and left-wing back. And with Ange Postecoglou’s side needing reinforcements in several positions, bringing in such a player could be very important this summer.

But Celtic are not the only club who are looking to sign Scales this summer. In fact, the race for his signature seems to be open at this point of time. As reported by the Independent, while speaking about the situation, Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley said:

"“I know there is a lot of interest and there has been for quite some time, but right now Liam is fully focused on tomorrow (first leg v Teuta in Tallaght) and going forward until Stephen McPhail (sporting director) and the board tell me otherwise that’s the way it will be. But there is a lot of serious interest from the English Premier League and Scotland.“There has been bids put down. We’ve had a number of managers ring myself and Stephen regarding Liam and watched him on a weekly basis.“That has been there as well as Celtic and others. There is a lot of interest.”"

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Celtic face serious competition in race for Scales

Scales seems like a real prospect and appears to be a player who performs consistently for Shamrock Rovers. And it looks like his performances have managed to catch the eye of not just Celtic but several other clubs.

A few days ago, there was a feeling that the move was only a matter of time. That does not seem to be the case though.

The interest in his signature does show how highly he is rated though and if the Hoops are able to sign, he might turn out to be a solid addition to the squad. At 22 years of age, he would also be expected get better moving forward as he gains more experience. Now though, it remains to be seen if the club can get a deal for Scales over the line this summer.