When Celtic appointed Brendan Rodgers as manager for a second stint in the Parkhead hot seat, rumours had suggested that the Northern Irishman had been promised a significant transfer budget in order to reshape the squad. Since then, we have seen Jota leave in a £25 million move to Al-Ittihad.
And now, it looks like Celtic’s transfer budget could be boosted further. That is if Jeremie Frimpong completes a move away from Bayer Leverkusen, which most people expect him to do.
Frimpong has been a standout player in the Bundesliga ever since moving to Germany in January of 2021 from Celtic. And his performances for Bayer Leverkusen have seen him being linked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Bayer Leverkusen appear to be looking for a significant transfer fee to let Frimpong leave. That is good news for Celtic as well, as they are believed to have a sell-on clause for the Dutchman.
Fabrizio Romano’s £35 million update is great news for Celtic
As reported by the Daily Record, Fabrizio Romano said while speaking on the Born and Red YouTube Channel:
"“I’m told that Bayer Leverkusen could start negotiations only from £35m. There was a big opportunity in January as they were happy with £20m-£25m, now it’s around £35m, so it’s way more expensive.“I think this is difficult but Frimpong is prepared to make his move and the priority of Frimpong is to go to the Premier League. So, let’s see if some clubs will put the money on the table, but at the moment not, but let’s see.”"
So, it looks like the German club are looking for a transfer fee of at least £35 million in order to part ways with Frimpong. And it is not hard to see why that might be the case either.
The right-back has been one of the best performers in the Bundesliga during his time at Bayer Leverkusen. And that is not a huge fee, considering the state of the modern day transfer market.
Now, it remains to be seen if Frimpong ends up getting his move or not. He has been linked with clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Arsenal and several more in recent times. Nothing seems close yet but it is still just early July. It would be a major surprise if a transfer does not take place this summer ultimately.