Celtic set to let flop leave a year early in bid to 'make significant saving on wages'

Celtic goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas is set to be released from his contract a year early, according to reports in Greece.

Vasilis Barkas is out of the first-team picture at Celtic.

The 29-year-old Greek internationalist signed for the current Premiership champions in the summer of 2020 from AEK for an initial fee of £3million, but struggled to impress as a replacement to Fraser Forster. Barkas lost his place in the first team and spent the whole of the 2021/22 campaign as understudy to Joe Hart before going out on loan this season to Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivise.

Barkas still has one year left to run on his Celtic contract, but Greek media outlet SportTime report that the goalkeeper has found “a solution” and will leave Celtic this summer. They write: "Things didn't go as he expected at Celtic, but this chapter is ready to close for the Greek goalkeeper. According to our sources, he has has found a formula and will be released by Celtic, who desperately wanted to 'save' on the last year of his contract."