Celtic braced for further bids for Arne Engels and Alistair Johnston
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill claims West Ham bid nowhere near their valuation of Arne Engels as the Scottish champions deal with interest in the Belgium midfielder and Alistair Johnston.
Everton have expressed an interest in the 27-year-old Canada right-back, who still has three years left on his contract.
Engels has entered the final two years of his deal after Celtic rejected a bid worth up to £25million for the 22-year-old from Nottingham Forest late in the winter transfer window.
O’Neill said: “The West Ham (bid), there’s definitely truth in that. There’s been something put in but it doesn’t remotely meet our valuation for a start.
“And the same with Alistair, I think Everton have been in contact. I’m not sure whether there’s been a bid in there for that one but they’ve been in contact saying that they would be.
“In fairness, David (Moyes) did call me last week saying that there would be contact. But I don’t know how far that has progressed, if it has at all.
“But that would be disappointing, obviously. But I suppose it’s to be expected, players who have done well.
“You know that we turned down a big offer in January from Nottingham Forest. They came in at the very last minute so we couldn’t do anything. Arne was all right with it.
“Our job is to try and keep them. If that’s not possible, then naturally we’ll have to try and get replacements in. But to replace those players would be a difficult task.”
Celtic have so far only signed two players this summer – strikers Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh – after losing a number of loan players plus goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and key forward Daizen Maeda.
“I felt that something would happen with some of our top players,” O’Neill said.
“I was hoping as each day goes past that there wouldn’t be any serious interest. But that was never going to happen.
“But we need players in anyway. And we’re in the hunt for that. We’re getting close. I don’t know how close is close, but we are definitely getting close.”
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