On Monday, we relayed quotes from Stade Brestois 29’s director of sport, Grégory Lorenzi, who made it clear that Haris Belkebla was not for sale this summer.
This came after L’Equipe reported that Rangers were interested in the midfielder for their summer transfer market, but they aren’t the only ones in Scotland with an eye on the 26-year-old.
According to Le Buteur, Celtic have also made a move to see if they can convince the Ligue 1 side to part with their player, reportedly ‘putting forward a bid deemed interesting’ seen as ‘one that could change the mind’ of those in charge there.
It’s explained the Algeria international ‘wants to attempt the adventure’, keen to move abroad to either Ibrox or Parkhead, but Lorenzi has told him ‘he doesn’t want to hear about his transfer’.
They have made him one of their key members for next year, since he’s a favourite of Brest’s manager, Olivier Dall’Oglio, but Belkebla is ‘hoping to see his future clarified before the start of the new league’.
He ‘would like to know a new adventure abroad’ as long as the offer ‘is up to the standards’ of his club, but he also ‘isn’t indifferent’ to what RC Lens, recently promoted from Ligue 2, are offering him, having made him a priority.
That means both Celtic and Rangers will have to be extremely convincing if they want Belkebla in their respective squads next year, and that means offering the French side more money than the player’s is probably valued at.
Whether or not Neil Lennon and Steven Gerrard will be able to get their clubs to do that remains to be seen, but it appears the two Scottish sides could end up fighting over something that isn’t three points and bragging rights in the coming weeks and months.
