Chelsea transfer news: Craig Gordon set for crunch talks with Celtic as Chelsea plot second offer
Stamford Bridge boss Antonio Conte saw the Blues' initial £3million offer for the Scotland keeper kicked out
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CRAIG GORDON is set for crunch talks over his Celtic future today, with Chelsea poised to make a second bid for the keeper.
Gordon is wanted by the Premier League giants as back-up for No1 Thibaut Courtois.
Parkhead chiefs made it clear to the Stamford Bridge club the
But SunSport understands Gordon and his advisers have been intrigued by the surprise swoop and would be interested in at least talking to the London club if they up the ante.
And sources down south insist Chelsea chiefs are refusing to take no for an answer in their pursuit of Gordon.
Conte wants him as back-up for Belgian star Courtois, with current understudy Asmir Begovic on his way to Bournemouth in a £10m deal.
However have knocked back their first approach as they are desperate to keep him.
Gordon has had to fight to establish himself as Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers’ No1 after losing his place to Dorus de Vries at the start of the season.
But he has 18 months to run on his contract at Parkhead and Celts don’t want to lose the former and Sunderland star.
Chelsea, though, are prepared to offer Gordon a big-money contract in a bid to lure him to London and were last night considering their next move.
Despite being told by Celtic their advances are not welcome, they are weighing up another offer.
With the transfer window in England closing at 11pm on Tuesday, time is running out for them to make their move.
It would mark a sensational career move for Gordon if a deal were to be struck.
The former Hearts youngster was facing up to the end of his career just two years ago after suffering a series of injuries during his time at Sunderland.
Gordon was out of the game for two years and trained with Old Firm rivals before joining Celts under their former manager Ronny Deila.
He then won the Scotland Player of the Year Award for his outstanding performances in his first season.
But Rodgers wasn’t convinced Gordon would be capable of adapting to his sweeper keeper style when he first took charge last summer.
That saw Dutch veteran De Vries signed as a possible replacement for Gordon.
It was only after a string of poor displays from him that Gordon regained his place.
Since then he has become one of the stars of Rodgers’ side, as he has nailed down his spot and helped the team on their way to a 26-game unbeaten domestic run, equalling the record set by the club’s famous Lisbon Lions.
Gordon’s original contract runs out at the end of this season, but the Hoops have the option of another year, which is a mere formality.
Now, though, the approach from Chelsea could give Celts a serious decision to make if the Premier League giants table a second big-money offer between now and next week’s transfer deadline.