Preston fans will have been forgiven for feeling a little fearful on Friday, when reports broke of Celtic’s interest in signing Ben Davies.
Football Insider, Tom Barclay of The Sun and The Mirror’s David Anderson all reported on Friday that the Bhoys are pursuing Davies.
Their plans seemingly revolved around targeting Davies either on the cheap this summer or on a pre-contract agreement come January.
Davies was then on the bench as Preston beat Mansfield Town 4-0 on Saturday, before Alex Neil commented on his future.
Neil told Lancs Live that Celtic would have to pay £10million to land Davies, which would be a club-record fee for the Scottish side.
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Neil added that advisor Peter Ridsdale would probably demand around £20million for Davies, despite the fact that he has less than one year left on his Preston contract.
The 25-year-old is an elegant ball-player and a fine reader of the game, possessing great recovery speed rather than aerial prowess and strength.
As a left-footed centre back, Davies will be a man in demand, but Preston’s fears over losing him in this transfer window may have been eased.
The Daily Record report that Celtic have tied up a loan deal for Brighton defender Shane Duffy, taking him on loan for the season having passed a medical.
The 28-year-old is set to join his boyhood club, possibly leading to a permanent move next summer if he can impress at Parkhead.
There is of course the lingering threat of a pre-contract agreement in January, but Celtic would now have Duffy, Christopher Jullien, Kristoffer Ajer and Nir Bitton at centre back, meaning Davies wouldn’t be an immediate priority – and it may just give Preston time to try and tempt Davies into staying after all.