Celtic closing in on a deal to sign Preston North End’s Ben Davies
According to Sky Sports, Scottish giants Celtic are working on a deal to secure the signing of English defender Ben Davies from Preston North End in the ongoing transfer window.
The 25-year-old is in the final six months of his contract with the Lilywhites. His situation has led to interest from a host of clubs including the likes of AFC Bournemouth and Sheffield United apart from Celtic.
The Hoops have been monitoring Davies for quite some time now. In fact, the Englishman was a target for the Scottish club in the summer transfer window as well.
Now, Celtic could soon be set to sign the 25-year-old are negotiations are said to be in advanced stages between the two clubs.
Preston North End are demanding a transfer fee of between £2m and £2.5m for Davies. This comes after they had quoted £3m to fellow Championship outfit, Bournemouth.
Davies has been with Preston since 2007. Having risen through the academy at the club, the defender enjoyed loan spells away at York City, Tranmere Rovers, Southport, Newport County and Fleetwood Town.
The 25-year-old became a first-team regular for Preston since 2017/18 and has racked up 144 appearances for the club so far, with 18 of those coming in the ongoing season. (h/t Transfermarkt)
Celtic are in need of defensive reinforcements, considering that Christopher Jullien is ruled out for the majority of the season. In addition, on-loan defender Shane Duffy has been linked with a return to parent club Brighton. Hatem Abd Elhamed has also been linked with an exit.
So bringing in someone like Davies could serve the Hoops well. However, it remains to be seen if they strike an agreement before the transfer window closes.