Celtic have been installed as second favourites to sign Liverpool midfielder Lazar Markovic, according to the latest bookmakers’ odds.
Sky Bet priced the Scottish treble winners at 3/1 on Thursday night to land the Serbia international before the transfer window shuts on 3 September.
Watford are the 7/4 narrow favourites to sign Markovic, 23, with both clubs well ahead in the betting of Zenit St Petersburg (8/1), Galatasaray (12/1) and Sporting Lisbon (20/1).
This comes after the Liverpool Echo reported that the £20million signing from Benfica is definitely for sale during the summer window, with Liverpool keen to recoup the fee they paid for him in 2014.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was in charge at Anfield at that point and Markovic demonstrated fleeting glimpses of his potential during his debut Liverpool campaign but was sent out on loan a year later to Fenerbahce, where he suffered from form and fitness issues.
The Serbian also made little impact at Sporting Lisbon in the first half of last season but his career was revived by his third consecutive loan, at Hull City in the second half of last season.
Markovic started 12 league goals, scoring two goals, and was a mainstay of the team that improved hugely under Silva only to eventually be relegated to the Championship.
Silva is said to be keen to take the Serbian wide man to his new club Watford but they would have to shatter their transfer record to land the 23-year-old.