Reportedly available for £13m: Three reasons why Celtic should rival Stoke for PL midfielder
COMMENT By Will Butcher
Celtic would boost their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League by signing Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph.
Sky Sports claim that City are holding out for £13million to sign the former Leeds midfielder, but the Potters are only willing to spend £10million to lure him away from the Etihad.
It is said that Stoke are still in talks to sign the 27-year-old, after being interested in the England international for much of the summer.
Celtic have completed three new signings this summer in Oliver Ntcham, Kundai Benyu and Jonny Hayes, but are yet to complete a marquee signing.
Football Insider considers why signing Delph would be a huge signing for the stature of the club as they enter the Champions League with the dream of reaching the last 16.
Here are three reasons why, including the future of a midfielder that could be about to join a Premier League side:
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Rodgers needs to find Brown partner
Scott Brown is currently without a permanent partner in the middle of the park, with plenty of Hoops midfielders chancing their arm in Rodgers side.
The likes of Nir Bitton, Callum McGregor and Kouassi Eboue have all tried, but Rodgers has chopped and changed between the three.
Signing Delph would put an end to that, as he compliments Brown's weaknesses of pace and willingness to get forward from midfield.
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Champions League experience
Although not massively experienced in Europe, Delph has starred in the seven appearances he has featured for Man City against the likes of Juventus, Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain.
That knowledge of how to impress against the world's best would give Celtic a huge boost as they look to go one better than last season's efforts, and reach the knockout stage of the competition.
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Future of Armstrong
Playmaker Stuart Armstrong could be on his way out of Celtic Park in the near future and a player of his influence would need replacing in a side that have benefited from his influence in the middle of the park.
The Daily Mail claim Armstrong is interesting Southampton ahead of a potential £10million deal, with only 12 months left on his current deal.
If Armstrong does leave, then Delph must be signed as a replacement if the Hoops can beat Stoke to his signature.
In other Celtic news, Rodgers has revealed the club’s ambition for the upcoming season.
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