As they look to make their first move of the transfer window, former English Premier League goalkeeper Paul Robinson now believes that Celtic should look into hijacking a major move to sign the ultimate replacement for Joe Hart this summer.
Celtic transfer news
Improving a side who have just won their third consecutive Scottish Premiership title is no easy task, but the retirement of Hart has left one obvious void for Brendan Rodgers to fill in the coming months. The veteran shot-stopper enjoyed a resurgent spell in Glasgow before bringing an end to an illustrious career at 37 years old.
Replacing such experience will be no easy task, but Robinson believes that Celtic may be keeping an eye on Euro 2024 and one of the tournament's biggest standouts so far in Giorgi Mamardashvili.
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The former Premier League goalkeeper told Football Insider: "He played for Valencia last season, and for me, he was probably La Liga’s goalkeeper of the tournament. The way he’s played in this tournament for Georgia, I think there’ll be a lot of teams around Europe standing up and taking notice.
"If there was any type of opportunity, if Celtic were going to push the boat out and go big, I mean, this kid’s really good, really good. He’s still only 23 years old, six foot six, dominates his box, makes some great saves; that type of signing would be a real statement signing.
"Dubravka would be a good option, but again, it’s only short-term; they’re going to be in this situation again at the end of next season or the season after. I can see Celtic hijacking the deal."
"Superb" Mamardashvili would break Celtic record
If Celtic want to sign Mamardashvili this summer, they will have to get in line. The goalkeeper has already been linked with the likes of Newcastle United and Atletico Madrid in deals that could cost up to €40m (£34m) this summer, as per Fabrizio Romano. With that said, Celtic would also have to smash their current transfer record of just £9m when they signed Odsonne Edouard in 2017 if they want to secure the Georgian star in the coming months.
All things considered, while he was described as "superb" by Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig and would undoubtedly be the coup of the summer in the Scottish Premiership, Mamardashvili's arrival seems like a dream rather than anything that is likely to become a reality for Celtic.
Unless they spend bigger than they've ever spent in the past, the Bhoys must look elsewhere when it comes to replacing Hart ahead of next season.