Celtic 'try to push through January deal' for pre-contract target as manager admits it's 'out of his hands'

Celtic are reportedly trying to push through a deal with Ben Davies this month as they near a pre-contract deal with the defender.

Preston North End defender Ben Davies. Picture: SNS

The Scottish Sun claim manager Neil Lennon is keen to get a deal brokered for the Preston North End star in the January window after losing Christopher Jullien to a knee injury and seeing right-back Jeremie Frimpong sold to Bayer Leverkusen.

Preston boss Alex Neil has admitted he’s powerless to stop Davies leaving the club and that it’ll be up to the Deepdale board whether Davies leaves before Monday night’s deadline.

He told the Lancashire Post: “I haven’t really heard anything (about Celtic) apart from what was in the paper.

“Ben hasn’t said a word to me about it. He has been good all the way through, this has only just appeared.

“As far as I’m aware from the discussions I’ve had before with Ben, he has so far committed to certainly being here to at least the end of the season.

“That has been the discussion I’ve had to this point, naturally that is subject to change but I’ve not been made aware of any change.

“I’m not in control of this situation so it is a hard question for me to answer.

“I could say, ‘Yes, he will be here until the end of the season’ and then he leaves tonight and I look silly.”

The 25-year-old Davies has been with the English Championship side his entire career after coming through their youth ranks. He can play both left-back and central defence.

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.