According to Football Insider, Celtic want to sign Preston North End defender Ben Davies as a possible replacement for Kristoffer Ajer.
Their report states that Ajer could be on the move this summer, and Davies is being eyed up to replace him.
Additionally, Tom Barclay of The Sun claims that Celtic want Davies on a pre-contract agreement in January, with Koln and Stuttgart also interested in such a move.
The Mirror’s David Anderson backs up that claim, stating that the exact same three clubs want to sign Davies for free.
Davies is in the final year of his contract at Preston, so he is able to move on and sign a pre-contract agreement outside of England in January.
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Three sources backing up Celtic’s interest makes this rumour seem strong, though if Ajer is leaving this summer, Preston may face a battle in the coming weeks.
The 25-year-old isn’t the biggest centre back, but he is quick, composed, possesses a fine reading of the game and progresses the ball well from the back.
Davies would make sense for Celtic alongside the bigger, more physically dominant Christopher Jullien, whilst providing a fine right foot/left foot combination.
There will be a tendency to rule out Celtic, with some Preston fans already taking to Twitter to brand the Scottish Premiership a ‘pub league’ and that Davies is too good for that.
Think about what Celtic can offer though; playing in front of huge crowds every week, playing European football and winning trophies every year.
That would be a lure for many Championship players, and are things that Preston simply can’t offer Davies any time soon.
Preston will hopefully manage to get Davies tied down to a new deal soon, but that may become difficult now Celtic are in pursuit of his signature.