Sold at £30m, now worth £40.5m: Celtic had a mare on gem who's "better than De Ligt" - opinion

One title-winner on the continent this season could well have been playing for Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side at Parkhead had things turned out differently a few years back.

The story begins in Italy where a certain England international was once touted with a move to the Hoops.

As Manchester City celebrated their fourth Premier League title in five seasons, elsewhere in Italy long-suffering AC Milan claimed their first Serie A triumph in 11 years, edging out title contenders – and city rivals – Inter Milan in the process.

The relevance of this to Celtic? Well, one man who proved integral to that Scudetto success was former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori, who has been a revelation at the San Siro since departing the Blues, initially on loan, in January 2021.

The 24-year-old could well have plotted a different career path, however, having been heavily linked with a move to Paradise almost three years ago, with the Glasgow outfit keen to prise the centre-back from Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2019.

The Canada-born gem had just come off the back of an impressive campaign under Frank Lampard at Championship side Derby County, helping the Rams to the playoff final as part of a team that contained the likes of Mason Mount and current Fulham star, Harry Wilson.

With that having been his third temporary stint away from Cobham, however, the west Londoners were seemingly reluctant to allow the academy graduate to head out on loan again, opting instead to either retain him or let him depart permanently.

Reports at the time suggested that the Hoops – then managed by Neil Lennon – were interested in a permanent switch, albeit with the defender’s parent club demanding a reported £10m for his services – a fee that would have been a