Neil Lennon wants to offer Manchester City forward Brandon Barker a return to Scotland this summer by signing him for Celtic, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claims that Lennon admires the 22-year-old after he impressed while on loan at Hibernian in the 2017/18 season and is looking to sign the English ace for a second time this summer as doubts surround the future of Scott Sinclair.
It is understood that Man City are “likely to cut their losses” on Barker before the start of next season with the wide-forward in the last 12 months of his £16,000-a-week contract.
Good move for Celtic?
Barker is someone who has proven himself to be a good player in the Scottish Premiership and although he had a fairly poor spell at Preston last season, the former England youth international is still young and could develop into a Celtic Park star.
Lennon knows Barker as good as most managers out there and signing him from Man City this summer could be a top piece of business, as long as the price is right and his wages aren’t too ridiculous.
Barker is versatile enough to play out on both wings and as a centre-forward, which could help the Hoops out if they were ever to be hit by an injury crisis.
This is Futbol rating 7/10
Likely to happen?
Celtic are unlikely to be the only club interested in Barker because he is someone who would have emerged on the radar of sides south of the border after spending the season on loan at Preston.
He made 20 appearances and scored two goals for Alex Neil’s side and while he did not exactly shine at Deepdale, there will be clubs still willing to take him on.
However Lennon’s previous relationship with Barker is bound to help the Hoops out here and there is a good chance that a deal could be struck.
This is Futbol rating 5/10