Celtic Could Seal The Best Transfer Deal Of This Window By Going For The Biggest Name.

The most interesting transfer story of the summer so far is one involving Celtic, and I don’t know that it’s much more than a rumour, but as someone smarter than me once said, “If it ain’t true then it ought to be.” The story is about David De Gea.

Now, it has to be said that it’s a story that has to be split into two separate strands. All of it is pure speculation – we think – but buried deep in it are a couple of threads to pull on. The first strand of this is what the player thinks. The second is what does Celtic think.

Let’s start with the player.

People close to him have said that a move to Celtic would be appealing. We can probably take that to the bank. It probably would be a move that he would consider. Why not? We’re going to be a Champions League side next season, and if he talks to Joe Hart, he’ll find out that life at Celtic is every bit as thrilling as life elsewhere.

The money he was on will have been outrageous. He would have to be as realistic as Hart was when he took a major cut in his earnings in order to come to Celtic, and a guy like De Gea will certainly have offers from clubs who can pay him much, much more than we can, even if he has been without a club for a while now.

So, it would be a tough sell, even if Celtic was so inclined.

And that brings us to the question as to whether or not it’s something that our club itself would consider, and actually I have to think that we would. I have to think Rodgers would be interested in seeing where it goes, and that we went and got Hart when he was available on a free, and probably paid him very well, should tell you that it’s not crazy.

We could also do a lot worse than to utilise Hart as our ambassador if we wanted to get a deal done. He would be a great salesman for the idea, and that’s one of the reasons I don’t think it’s a wholly unrealistic move. When he sees the reception Hart got, when he sees the way Hart felt as he departed the field on cup final day, who wouldn’t want that as the epilogue to an outstanding career? That’s what we can offer the player.

What does David De Gea offer us?

Well, for a start he’s an outstanding keeper with an outstanding pedigree, and at 33 he has at least two and probably more years left at the top. Some players aren’t motivated by the money; he could certainly have found a club before now if that was all he cared about. Some players want the right offer, the right club, something to excite them, and those players give their all for that. I have no doubt that he could still play at the highest level.

I remember when the Ibrox club signed Aaron Ramsey, being in a conversation with some friends from London who thought it was the biggest deal a Scottish club had done in decades. I disagreed for so many reasons, but I was at least able to give them a counterpoint; Joe Hart himself, with a far more distinguished career and trophy haul … they wouldn’t concede the point but I do believe that history has proved my case more than theirs.

If we were to sign David De Gea, I think that would almost certainly be the biggest and most important signing that was made by a Scottish club in this window. It would not be a game-changer, because most of us expect to do sufficient business to secure next season’s title, but it would be a statement of intent and something with the manager’s stamp on it.

We need a substantial figure to replace Joe Hart. There are plenty of good goal keepers out there and we are linked with a good few of them, but De Gea has gravitas and experience and the kind of profile which makes it a no-brainer if he was willing to accept the obvious financial ramifications of it.

It is not a deal that would be easy to do … but it’s one worth exploring.