Celtic: Major summer deal 'depends on' Champions League football

Celtic’s chances of signing defender Cameron Carter-Vickers on a permanent basis ‘will depend’ on whether they can offer Champions League football, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Hoops snapped up the 24-year-old on a season-long loan deal that includes the option to buy for £10 million from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.

According to Sky Sports, Celtic intend to trigger Carter-Vickers’ option-to-buy clause after adapting to the demands of the Scottish Premiership in impressive fashion.

The report states that talks between the Glasgow giants and Spurs are based around the structure of any potential permanent deal, but they could now face extensive competition for the centre-back’s signature.

A recent report by TEAMtalk claimed that Premier League sides Leicester City, West Ham, Wolves, Burnley and Watford are all closely monitoring Carter-Vickers’ progress.

And the apparent interest in the USA international will perhaps come as little surprise, given his outstanding exploits for Ange Postecoglou’s charges.

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In his 26 top-flight appearances for Celtic, Carter-Vickers has won 4.2 aerial duels while making 1.2 interceptions, 4.2 clearances and 0.4 blocks per league game, as per WhoScored.

Those figures place the 6 foot 1 ace in the top three for each metric when compared to his teammates and illustrate why Postecoglou is keen to keep him at the club on a long-term basis.

The winners of this season’s Scottish Premiership are virtually guaranteed direct entry into the group stage of the 2022/23 Champions League thanks to Rangers’ European run last term.

And O’Rourke believes the Parkhead outfit’s