Alfie Devine Deal Edges Closer as Preston Option Expires and De Zerbi Clears the Path | OneFootball

Talks between Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur over Alfie Devine are accelerating – and with Preston’s option gone and Spurs keen to move him on, the timing is right for us to move decisively.

Celtic have intensified negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur over the permanent signing of midfielder Alfie Devine, with The Celtic Way reporting that talks are now “accelerating” as the 21-year-old is deemed surplus to requirements under incoming Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi.

As reported by The Celtic Way, Celtic’s interest is well-established – Martin O’Neill and Mark Fotheringham attended a Championship fixture last season specifically to watch Devine during his loan spell at Preston North End. That early groundwork is now being converted into genuine transfer momentum.

Devine spent last season at Deepdale, registering eight goals and six assists in English football’s second tier – numbers that represent real output from a midfield player still a year shy of his twenty-second birthday. Preston held a £6 million option-to-buy that expired on 1 July without being exercised, leaving Tottenham free to negotiate a permanent sale with any interested party.

Tottenham are understood to be seeking a package in the region of £4.5 million rising to £6 million via add-ons, and Spurs have already rebuffed multiple approaches for Devine in the past – briefly sending him on loan to Belgian football rather than accepting bids they considered below value. That tells you they’re not panicking, but De Zerbi’s arrival and a crowded attacking midfield have changed the calculation. Wolverhampton Wanderers have also been linked following their relegation, so this is not a negotiation Celtic can afford to let drift.

There’s another detail worth noting: Devine’s representatives are reported to have strong existing ties to Celtic, with clients including Kyogo Furuhashi, Luis Palma and Shaun Maloney among their portfolio. That kind of agency relationship doesn’t guarantee anything, but it removes friction at a stage in negotiations where friction costs time we don’t have.

Let’s be honest about the broader picture. O’Neill has already flagged his concern about squad depth ahead of the Champions League qualifiers, and the window is not moving quickly enough for most of us. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s contract extension is the only business done. Reo Hatate wants out. Engels, Johnston, Maeda and Nygren are all subject to Premier League interest. The Camilo Duran talks with Qarabag are ongoing but unsigned, and other targets remain in play without resolution.

Devine would represent exactly the kind of profile we need in the engine room – young, proven in a competitive league, with Champions League football as a genuine pull. Get it done.

Mon The Hoops.