Premiership side Celtic are reportedly set to face competition from Swiss side FC Basel for AEK Athens goalkeeper Vasilios Barkas.
Greek outlet SDNA (via Sport Witness) recently reported about Barkas, saying that Basel are now in the race for the goalkeeper. The Swiss side could lose their current goalkeeper, Jonas Omlin, and see Celtic target Barkas as a potential replacement for him.
Do Celtic need Barkas if they sign Forster?
Yes, I'd like that
No, there's no point in that
This comes after SDNA themselves had reported in recent weeks that Celtic are looking at Barkas and have been for the last two years, with the report claiming that the Hoops are willing to pay as much as £5.4m to lure him to Parkhead.
But it now seems as though the saga has taken a new turn and Celtic aren’t the only club in the race for Barkas, who has been a regular for AEK in the 2019/20 season. He made 26 appearances in all competitions, playing 20 times in the league (via Transfermarkt).
TIF Thoughts…
It is now clear that the path to signing the goalkeeper won’t be easy, but the Hoops are already said to be ‘working’ on a deal to keep Fraser Forster at the club.
While Barkas may be a regular for AEK, Forster is an experienced Celtic goalkeeper and is more familiar with the club. He was crucial for the Hoops in the UEFA Europa League, coming up with impressive performances against Lazio, Cluj and Rennes, in particular.
So signing Forster would perhaps be a better option for the Bhoys and he could be crucial to helping them win a 10th Premiership title in a row next season.