Celtic eyeing German goalkeeper to replace Joe Hart

Celtic look to be well on their way to identifying and signing a new goalkeeper for next season. Joe Hart has made his position clear by announcing his retirement at the end of this campaign. Inevitably that means that we will see several players mentioned in connection with the club for that number one spot between the posts.

With Hart retiring, the position of the club's current backup goalkeepers, Scott Bain and Benjamin Siegrist, is slightly less clear. The former signed a three-year deal last year, and the latter is also contracted until the summer of 2026.

What is clear is that neither seems to fit into Brendan Rodgers’ plans as anything more than a cover option. That opens the door for a new signing between the posts.

According to reports in Turkey, Celtic have made enquiries about Trabzonspor captain Ugurcan Cakir. Now, it looks like a Bundesliga goalkeeper is on their radar as well.

Celtic eyeing German goalkeeper to replace Joe Hart

As reported by BILD (via The Scottish Sun), Michael Zetterer has "concrete" interest from Celtic over a summer swoop. French side Rennes are interested in the German goalkeeper as well. Werder Bremen are ready to hand him a long-term deal but it's looking increasingly likely that he'll leave the Bundesliga club.

Zetterer has been with Werder Bremen since 2015 but has spent most of his time out on loan or playing in the lower divisions. He has had temporary spells at clubs like PEC Zwolle of the Eredivisie and SK Austria Klagenfurt of the Austrian Bundesliga.

He has though taken his opportunity this season for Werder Bremen. An injury to their first-choice goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka in October allowed Zetterer to step in. He has held the position since then and impressed everybody with his displays.

It’s good to see that Celtic are underway with their search for a new goalkeeper. It seems likely that hopes of seeing Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher making a move to Glasgow have faded. He is in top form and getting a run of games at Anfield now.

The interest in Cakir may remain, but reports that Tranzonspor are looking for a transfer fee around £12.5 million may be an issue. The Hoops are believed to be ready to offer closer to £7.5 million.