Celtic transfer exit collapses at the last minute

Celtic have already confirmed one transfer exit this month, as Yosuke Ideguchi has joined J-League champions, Vissel Kobe, on a permanent basis. There are quite a few others who could potentially head out as well, whether permanently or on loan. In the case of one such player, a move away has collapsed at the last minute.

One area where Celtic need to strengthen soon is goalkeeper. Joe Hart is the number one but has not really impressed lately. On the other hand, Benjamin Siegrist and Scott Bain have not challenged him for the starting spot.

Siegrist appeared to be closing in on an exit this January. Sturm Graz had looked like his destination, the same club where Albian Ajeti had spent time on loan. But that move seems to have collapsed at the final step.

As reported by the Daily Record, Sturm Graz had been working on the Siegrist deal for a month but have pulled the plug. A loan switch had all but been agreed but they have now decided to go a different route, with Liverpool goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros thought to be an option.

Celtic transfer exit collapses at the last minute

Siegrist joined Celtic in the summer of 2022 as a free agent. He had been impressive at Dundee United before that and many thought that he would eventually replace Hart as the number one between the posts.

That has not happened. In fact, Siegrist has only managed to make a few appearances for the club since then despite Hart's questionable form in recent times.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Siegrist. It is very possible that he could still end up leaving before the January transfer window comes to an end but a potential move to Sturm Graz appears to be pretty much off the table.