Celtic suffer massive Daniel Amartey transfer blow

It can be hard to get any clarity on the many stories and rumours surrounding Celtic during the summer transfer window. Sometimes, it is only when a player appears to be heading elsewhere that we start to find out that a move to Parkhead is becoming unlikely. And that might be the case with a former Leicester City star.

When Brendan Rodgers was appointed as Celtic manager for the second time in his career, there was plenty of talk of a potential move for Daniel Amartey. The Ghana international is available on a free transfer after leaving Leicester City following the end of his contract with them.

Amartey, of course, worked with Rodgers during their time together at Leicester City. And he appeared to be a player that the Northern Irishman relied on. He is capable of playing at centre-back, right-back and as a defensive midfielder, offering useful additional cover and flexibility to a squad.

That all led to speculation that Celtic were strongly considering a move for Amartey. But that’s over two weeks ago now and the rumours have gone quiet since then.

Celtic suffer Amartey transfer blow

It’s not gone quiet for Amartey with regards to his next club though and it seems as though he is headed in a different direction. A move to Besiktas seems like his most likely path.

As reported by HITC, Besiktas sporting director Ceyhun Kazanci said in an interview with NTV Spor:

"“We have made progress on (Russian midfielder) Daler Kuzyaev and Daniel Amartey.“The situation of both players will be known this week. We are trying to complete the transfers.”"

The Celtic back four is still an area that should be strengthened, especially with the step up in playing level that comes with the Champions League group stage. So far, it is not a position that has been weakened by players leaving, but another strong defender would be a very good addition for the club. If that is not going to be Amartey then Rodgers should have an eye on alternative targets.