Exclusive: Big development in Celtic bid to sign £10m-valued English ace
Preston North End have slapped a £10million asking price on Celtic and Bournemouth target Ben Davies, Football Insider understands.
As revealed by this site yesterday, the English Championship club have knocked back a £5m offer from the Cherries for the centre-back.
A recruitment source has told Football Insider that Preston want double that figure if they are to part with Davies before the current window shuts.
The Lancashire outfit are vulnerable to losing the English defender as he is in the final year of his contract.
Attempts to tie him down beyond June 2021 have so far failed and interest from suitors is growing.
Bournemouth have been the first to test the water as they look to strengthen a defence that is deprived of Nathan Ake following his £40million-plus transfer to Man City.
But Celtic are also keeping close tabs on Davies as they assess potential replacements for wantaway Kristoffer Ajer.
The giant Norway international is keen to move to a club playing in a major European league and has snubbed Hoops' attempts to tie him to a new contract.
Davies has been targeted by clubs after his impressive 2019-20 Championship campaign in which Preston narrowly miss out on a play-off spot.
He made 36 Championship starts at centre-back and has now played 126 times for his boyhood club.
Amid the speculation over his future, Davies played the full 90 minutes of Saturday's opening-day 1-0 league defeat to Swansea City.
He has also gained major playing experience from loans at Fleetwood Town, York City, Newport County, Tranmere Rovers and Southport.