Kevin Campbell backs Celtic to secure seven-figure transfer agreement for Derby County man | OneFootball

Former Arsenal striker and pundit Kevin Campbell has urged Celtic to agree a deal with Championship side Derby County to take left-back Lee Buchanan away from Pride Park, in an interview with Football Insider.

21-year-old Buchanan is said to be one of the Glasgow side’s targets this summer, with Derby’s arch-rivals Nottingham Forest also monitoring the full-back’s situation with the Rams currently under strict transfer embargo rules by the EFL.

Forest have reportedly gone as far as making multiple bids for Buchanan and had their latest offer rejected at the end of last month, with Derby manager Wayne Rooney desperate to retain all of his key players in the next month before the window shuts.

25 quiz questions about Derby County and Wayne Rooney as 21/22 season edges closer – Can you score 100% correct?

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What year was Wayne Rooney born?

1986

1987

1988

1989

Rooney’s side are currently facing the prospect of entering the 2021/22 season with a depleted squad, several youngsters as part of their first team and a total of zero senior centre-backs available as the likes of Andre Wisdom and Curtis Davies remain out of contract.

Although there is more optimism about their current transfer situation now than there was earlier in the summer, they are still in a bad shape after losing several first-teamers including Scott Malone, Martyn Waghorn and Jordon Ibe since the end of last term.

21-year-old Buchanan proved to be one of their shining lights during the 2020/21 campaign as he made 35 Championship appearances. And with this and his experience as an England youth international, pundit Kevin Campbell believes this is a deal Ange Postecoglou’s should look to tie up quickly.

Speaking to Football Insider about this potential move, he said: “You go and get that done if you’re Celtic.

“That could be a bargain signing.

“You don’t mess around because that is one of the problem positions for Celtic. There should be no uhming and ahing because at the end of the day, £1.5million is cheap for a player who has England Under-21 experience.

“He could easily be one of these players who Celtic make a big profit on in the future so it could be a great signing.”

The Verdict:

Derby County need a bit of hope to hang on to after the summer they’ve had. Their performances against Manchester United and Real Betis were promising which will please the Rams faithful, but they need to retain Buchanan if they want to give themselves the best chance of staying afloat in the second tier.

His ability is important enough for Rooney’s men, but it would be a major morale boost in itself for the Derby camp if he remains in the East Midlands, at Pride Park that is!

Selling him to Celtic, or even worse, letting him go to Nottingham Forest would be a major kick in the teeth.

However, his current deal expires next summer which could force them to sell, especially if the EFL promise to grant them more transfer freedoms in return for this potential sale.

Because of his contract situation and the need to retain key players in their current predicament, this is a nightmare for the Championship side who would ideally want to secure a contract extension for the England youth international and add new players to their squad ahead of the 2021/22 season.