Celtic make first move to sign Burnley, Ipswich and Wolves transfer target

Celtic have taken their first steps in to signing Wolves transfer target Jake Clarke-Salter, according to a report.

News broke last week that the Scottish Premiership side along with Wolves and a handful of clubs in the Premier League and the Championship had been interested in signing the centre-back. Wolves' Premier League rivals Burnley and Crystal Palace as well as Championship automatic promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town all have an interest in signing the former Chelsea youngster.

Celtic have made the first move to sign the defender according to Football Scotland. Recruitment staff at the Scottish Premiership club have made 'tentative' contact over the player as they seek to find out information such as the how much it will cost to sign him, his desire to join the club and his expectations.

Clarke-Salter is under contract at Loftus Road until the summer of 2026 and so the Hoops have a strong position to negotiate. The West London club are six points above the relegation zone and should they retain their place in the second tier then he would be more inclined to stay.

In the earlier stages of his career, Clarke-Salter rejected the opportunity to join Celtic's Old Firm rivals Rangers. The Gers were managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard at the time and Clarke-Salter ended up going to play in the Eredivise with Vitesse Arnhem. Game time was an important thing for him at the time and used Mason Mount as an example. Clarke-Salter has gone on to play more than 100 times in the Championship.

In other news, Max Kilman said that Wolves must take momentum from their point against Burnley in to their match against West Ham on Saturday. Rayan Ait-Nouri got Wolves back on level terms after falling behind to the Clarets,

“We’ll be back at home, and it’s been a fortress this season, so we need to make sure we keep on top of that and go for it," said the skipper to the official club website.

“We need to build from these games. We’ve got eight more tough games to come but we need to make sure we’re ready. We’ve got a few injuries, but some of the boys are coming back so we need to make sure we’re ready.”