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According to reports in Scotland, some of the biggest clubs in England are keeping a close eye on a pair of young Celtic stars who could be set to fetch upwards of £50M on the market next summer: 21-year-old striker Moussa Dembele and 20-year-old left back Kieran Tierney.
Liverpool have been linked to both in recent seasons, and it’s no surprise that they are again named as one of the sides keeping a close eye on the duo, with the Scottish Daily Record claiming the club will have scouts watching the pair when Celtic take on Bayern Munich today.
It’s not just Liverpool, though, with four of the Premier League’s top six set to be in attendance, with Arsenal, Tottenham, and Manchester United scouts also set to be at tonight’s Champions League tie and the Record claiming a total of 17 English clubs will be watching.
While Liverpool have been linked to both in the past—for far less than the £50M the latest round of transfer inflation means Celtic would be seeking were they to sell them—the club with the most serious past links is Tottenham, who previously bid on Dembele.
The London club tried to sign him in January 2016 when he played for Fulham, but their £6M bid failed to land the player and in the summer he moved to Celtic for the promise of regular first team football. He has since scored 37 goals in 58 games for the Scottish side.
Tierney, also linked with Spurs last summer, was recently given a six-year contract and Celtic would demand a high fee to allow their homegrown star to depart. In the current market, though, £50M for the pair—with perhaps £30M for Dembele and £20M for Tierney—isn’t preposterous.
Still, Liverpool send scouts to watch countless games—as do all 17 other clubs who will be watching the duo play tonight—and keeping an eye on players is hardly a reason to believe that a bid for either is likely to materialise in the coming months.