Celtic were poised to bring in David Turnbull from Motherwell FC for a transfer fee of £3.25 million but it seems that the transfer has now collapsed.
The midfielder had shown some great prospect last season for Motherwell but now the player needs an immediate knee surgery which means he will be out of the game for a long period of time.
As of result of this, there were issues with the medical and David Turnbull will not be moving to Park Head.
“We will give David all the support he needs during this process,” read a statement from the Fir Park club(as reported by the BBC).
“We wish him the best with his procedure and rehabilitation, and look forward to watching him play in claret and amber again in the near future.”
The Bhoys also released a statement in order to shed some light on the collapse of the transfer and why David Turnbull will not be joining them this summer.
Celtic’s official statement read(as reported by Football Scotland): ‘It is unfortunate that we were not able to proceed with the transfer of David to Celtic, having agreed a significant fee with Motherwell and reaching an agreement with the player.
‘It is regrettable that David will be out of action for a considerable length of time and, clearly, these circumstances are totally outwith the club’s control. We did everything we could to find a solution.
‘We would like to thank David and his representatives for the professionalism they have shown throughout. We also thank Motherwell FC for the way they have handled this process.
‘We wish David all the very best with the operation and every success for the future.’
It has been claimed that the transfer collapsed because David Turnbull’s medical with Celtic was having troubles. But according to Allan Preston, one cannot really fail a medical at a club like Celtic.
Agent and former footballer Allan Preston said on BBC Radio Scotland: “A medical can actually vary whatever club you’re at. The higher up you go, the more millions of pounds that are getting spent, the more thorough it will be.
“You can’t really fail a medical. It’s not really a pass or fail.
“When you get CT scans, that can certainly highlight if there’s a problem in your knee or your ankle or your back or anything at all. It’s just a doctor’s opinion.
“It’s a recommendation and then it’s up to that club to act on that information.”
All said and done though, the Bhoys are now on the lookout for a replacement to David Turnbull and they are reportedly looking at Birmingham’s Paddy McNair.
The 24-year-old is a Man United youth team product but last summer he joined Middlesbrough and went on to make 23 appearances for the Championship side.
Reports suggest that Celtic have already made an enquiry about the midfielder but some suggest that the Bhoys will have to cough up a hefty transfer fee for McNair.
The midfielder joined Middlesbrough for a fee of £5 million and it is being claimed that the club is not willing to lose money in case McNair wants to move out.
David Turnbull would have costed Celtic £3.25 million so if Neil Lennon is really thinking about bringing in Paddy McNair they will most certainly have to empty out their pockets a bit for.
