Report: Celtic quoted £5m for ‘fantastic’ 6ft 5in goalkeeper, Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds also keen

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Neil Lennon’s Celtic have reportedly been quoted £5million for Vasilios Barkas, but the Parkhead side may have competition from south of the border, according to the Daily Mail.

As well as Celtic, Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United are also said to be eyeing the AEK Athens and Greece goalkeeper.

The Hoops have lost Craig Gordon this summer, the Scotland international opting to join Hearts after his contract at Parkhead expired.

Fraser Forster, meanwhile, has returned to parent club Southampton and it remains to be seen whether he will return to Glasgow.

As a result, Scott Bain is now the only senior keeper left at Celtic, so it’s an area which certainly needs bolstering.

According to the Daily Mail, Barkas features on a shortlist of replacements for Forster, and the Scottish champions lodged an enquiry for him earlier this week.

The outlet also cites interest from Leeds, who currently top the English Championship table.

According to Greek outlet Sport-FM, the Whites are eyeing players to target if promotion to the Premier League is sealed, and the Barkas interest is said to be mutual.

TBR View:

Barkas is a tall, skilled, highly rated and experienced yet relatively young goalkeeper with over 100 competitive appearances for AEK and a Greek championship on his CV.

In addition, the 6ft 5in ace has big-game experience, having played in the Champions League and won 10 caps for Greece.

In 2018, Barkas helped AEK qualify for Europe’s elite competition with a superb performance in their playoff second leg against Vidi, after which opposition coach Marko Nicolic said the keeper was “fantastic” (Agona Sport).

With just Bain on their books, Celtic really need to strengthen in goal and, amid continued reported interest in Joe Hart and David Marshall, Barkas is a great option.

However, with Leeds potentially in the Premier League next season, it won’t be that easy for the Hoops to get their hands on the Netherlands-born stopper.