How Celtic could net a £7m transfer windfall without selling a single player
The transfer move that could have knock-on effects
Celtic have made millions in the transfer market in recent years through buying players at a low price and selling them on for sizeable profits. Now they could be set to bank another major windfall without selling a single player.
Matt O'Riley is the most recent example of Celtic's recruitment success with the £1.5million signing from MK Dons in January 2022 being sold to Brighton in the summer transfer window fora whopping £26m. Jota and Kieran Tierney were sold for similar amounts, while the likes of Liel Abada, Josip Juranovic, Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer have all earned the club significantly more than their original purchase price.
Another player to add to that list is Jeremie Frimpong. The Dutch right-back joined Celtic from Manchester City in a deal worth £350,000 back in 2019. He was subsequently sold to Bayer Leverkusen for a reported £11.5m in January 2021 before going on to become a Bundesliga title winner and a fully fledged Netherlands international.
His impressive form in Germany has attracted the interest of some of the biggest clubs in Europe with the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City all quoted as potential destinations for the 23-year-old. A possible move to Anfield was mooted this week with the Daily Mail reporting that Liverpool have put Frimpong at the top of their potential list of replacements for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who appears likely to depart the club when his contract runs out at the end of the season.
The report claims that Liverpool are prepared to meet the £35m release clause in Frimpong's Leverkusen contract, with Celtic due 30 per cent of any profit the German club makes. That would equate to Celtic receiving a sell-on fee of around £7m, further strengthening the coffers of the Scottish champions, whose latest annual accounts showed a record bank balance of £77m.
Celtic even managed to make a profit in the most recent summer transfer window despite spending a combined £20m recruiting both Arne Engels and Adam Idah, with the sale of O'Riley absorbing the financial outaly. And with £40m coming into the club from participation in this season's newly-revamped Champions League, and in-form winger Nicolas Kuhn tipped to be the next £20m plus departure, the financial situation at Parkhead continues to go from strength-to-strength.
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