Celtic would find it 'tough' to finance a deal to sign Leicester City midfielder Wilfried Ndidi this window, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
Will Celtic sign Wilfried Ndidi this summer?
Last month, The Daily Mail reported that Celtic were interested in making a move to sign Ndidi this summer following Leicester City's relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.
In 2022/23, Ndidi made 30 appearances for the Foxes in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt; however, he couldn't help to prevent Leicester City's slide into the English second tier despite his best efforts.
According to WhoScored, the 26-year-old still got through plenty of work in the engine room, making around 2.3 tackles per match in the Premier League.
Brendan Rodgers left Leicester City by mutual consent back in April and has since taken over at Celtic, bringing in Marco Tilio and Odin Thiago Holm as his first two additions of the window.
The Scottish Sun understand that the Irishman has a transfer kitty of around £30 million to play with between now and the close of play in the market, signifying that some high-profile signings could be likely to walk through the door at Parkhead.
Nevertheless, transfer insider Jones thinks that Celtic would struggle to finance a deal for Ndidi to bolster their midfield despite his obvious links to Hoops boss Rodgers.
Speaking to Football FanCast, Jones said: "Tough deal to do, in the best of times. I think financially and just through the links to Rodgers and Leicester being too obvious for me. I haven't heard anything that actually properly stands the story up. So again, it's one I'm holding with caution right now."
Who could Brendan Rodgers look to recruit at Celtic?
Given that Ndidi earns around £75,000 per week at Leicester City and would likely cost a significant transfer fee, Celtic will probably shift their focus to alternative targets as Rodgers looks to keep the Hoops at the top of Scottish football.
Names linked have been few and far between as the 50-year-old coach examines his squad in a pre-season training camp in Portugal; however, Celtic will surely spring to life in the next few weeks and start adding quality in key positions.
According to Ukrainian outlet Sport Novyny via 67 Hail Hail, Celtic are among the leading candidates to land Shakhtar Donetsk winger Tete, who spent last season on loan at Leicester City, as he intends to leave the club due to fears over his safety in the region.
Young Boys midfielder Fabian Reider has also been tentatively linked with a move to Celtic this summer; nevertheless, it is unclear how much these rumours have been substantiated as excitement over potential new arrivals reaches fever pitch in the Scottish media.
Football Scotland understand that Celtic have agreed a fee with Gangwon for talented winger Yang Hyun-jun, though they are keen to hold on to him for now due to being embroiled in a relegation battle and want to retain his services until later this year.
Working under the radar, it wouldn't be surprising to see Celtic announce some big arrivals in the not-too-distant future as they prepare to defend their Scottish Premiership crown in 2023/24.
