Celtic eye Crystal Palace midfielder James McCarthy

Celtic are interested in signing Crystal Palace central midfielder James McCarthy, according to TEAMtalk. It has been reported that the Scottish Premiership giants are ready to make an offer of a long-term deal to the Republic of Ireland international when the transfer window opens in January.

The Hoops plan to sign McCarthy on a pre-contract in January, with the 30-year-old out of contract at Palace in the summer of 2021. The former Everton midfielder, though, would have to take a pay-cut to move to the club he supports. The report has claimed that if Celtic are able to strike a pre-contract agreement with the Republic of Ireland international midfielder, then they will try to do a deal with Palace over a transfer in January instead of waiting until the summer of 2020-21 to sign him on a free.

However, Celtic are not the only club who are interested in McCarthy. It has been claimed that Premier League duo Aston Villa and Burnley are also monitoring the former Wigan Athletic central midfielder.