Revealed: Celtic star's price tag plummets by £15m

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Published on:

18 Apr 2020, 1:30 pm

Fraser Forster's price tag could plummet by as much as £15million despite his brilliant Celtic campaign and another two years remaining on his Southampton contract, Football Insider can reveal.

Transfer fees are set to be significantly reduced this summer as football's changed economics mean clubs are forced to cash in on players at far lower prices.

A Southampton source has told Football Insider that they were valuing Forster at around £25m going into the January window following his excellent form and sensational display in the Scottish League Cup win over Rangers in December.

But his asking price could now drop to around £10m as reality bites in top-level football.

This comes after Football Insider revealed earlier this week that internal talks have taken place at St Mary's Stadium about cashing in on some star players to stem losses.

Southampton became the first Premier League club to announce last week that players had agreed to defer part of their wages because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Forster, 32, was not in Ralph Hasenhuttl's plans before he joined Celtic for a second time last August on a season-long loan.

He had been frozen out for 18 months at the Saints after slipping behind Alex McCarthy and Angus Gunn in their keeper pecking order.

A £10m fee would not be beyond Celtic's reach as they explore at ways to convert Forster's loan into a permanent transfer.

But the main sticking point for the Hoops would be a contract worth £70,000-a-week and that runs until 2022.

It is more than double what Celtic's top earners such as Callum McGregor and Christopher Julien are on.

Forster has made 39 appearances for the Hoops this season, keeping 17 clean sheets and conceding just 28 goals.

His grip on the number one jersey had been iron-tight despite the return to fitness of Scott Bain, and the presence of triple treble winner Craig Gordon.

In other Celtic news, it can be REVEALED that Newcastle takeover is bad news for Hoops after huge BBC update.

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