Celtic reject Engels bid and confirm Johnston interest
Celtic reject Engels bid and confirm Johnston interest
Martin O'Neill hopes Alistair Johnston and Arne Engels (right) will be available for Monday's Scottish Premiership opener at home to Dundee
- Published
Celtic have rejected a West Ham approach for Arne Engels while Everton are keen on Alistair Johnston, manager Martin O'Neill has confirmed.
The West Ham bid for Belgium midfielder Engels, 22, "doesn't remotely meet our valuation", said O'Neill, who received a call from Everton counterpart David Moyes relating to Canada full-back Johnston, 27.
"Everton have been in contact," explained O'Neill. "I'm not sure whether there's been a bid in there for that one, but they've been in contact saying that there would be.
"In fairness, David Moyes did call me last week to say there would be contact."
Nottingham Forest failed with a February offer worth £25m for Engels, who moved to Celtic Park from Augsburg in August 2024.
Johnston, who started all five of Canada's games at the World Cup, joined the Scottish champions from Montreal in January 2023.
O'Neill described the interest in both players as "disappointing" but "to be expected", adding that it is "difficult to stop people if their ambition is to play in a big, big league".
The 74-year-old went on to say: "Our job is to try and keep them, try and do our best to keep them.
"If that's not possible, naturally we'll have to try and get replacements in. To replace those players would be a difficult task."
Celtic have sold Daizen Maeda to Ipswich Town and brought in forward duo Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran this summer.
"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."