Celtic keen on Everton defender and Manchester City goalkeeper
Celtic are reportedly keen to sign Everton defender Joseph Yobo and Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given on loan deals.
Manager Neil Lennon has given his squad a complete overhaul this summer, having signed nine players – central defender Daniel Majstorović; full-backs Charlie Mulgrew, Cha Du-Ri and Emilio Izaguirre; midfielders Joe Ledley, Efrain Juarez and Biram Kayal; and strikers Daryl Murphy and Gary Hooper. He has also allowed several players to leave, notably captain Stephen McManus, goalkeeper Artur Boruc and winger Aiden McGeady, who joined Spartak Moscow in a £9.5m deal.
However, the Northern Irishman does not yet appear to be fully satisfied with his squad and is said to be looking at English Premier League duo Yobo and Given.
Eye-catching move
Of that pair, a move for Given is the most eye-catching one. Lennon has been in the market for an established goalkeeper to challenge Łukasz Załuska. He had attempted to hold talks with David James, but the player instead decided to join Bristol City.
With Joe Hart looking to be Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini’s preferred choice between the posts this season, Given is believed to be looking for regular first-team football elsewhere and would be interested in a move to the Scottish Premier League giants. However, the Republic of Ireland international’s wages may prove to be a barrier to any deal being struck.
Lennon looks to have more chance of taking Yobo on a season-long loan. The 29-year-old Nigerian international has been with Everton since 2002, having first joined on loan and then on a permanent basis in 2003. Though he has played 259 times for the club, he only featured in 23 games last season, leading to speculation that his future may lie elsewhere. Celtic may struggle to match the player’s wages, but he would certainly add some much-needed steel to their central defence.
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