Celtic could be on the verge of losing another transfer target to Premier League club Crystal Palace, according to the reports.
As reported by The Scottish Sun, the Premier League side are preparing to offer more money than the Hoops in the race to sign Heart of Midlothian defender Aaron Hickey.
Same report also says that Hearts are demanding up to £1.5 million as transfer fee for the sale of Hickey, which the Hoops are reluctant to pay.
However, according to the report, Crystal Palace are happy to pay Heart’s asking price and then loan the 17-year-old back to the Scottish Premiership club until the end of the season.
The report adds further that the Hoops are entitled to 30% of any Hearts make on the youngster who was released by the club’s as a kid.
Hickey is a left-back who has been red-hot for so far this season, but the Scotland Under-17 international is also able to operate in central midfield.
However, his incredible form wouldn’t guarantee as a regular in the Palace first team anytime soon, but he certainly has the potential and the calibre to do so in the coming years, hence he could be better off moving back to Celtic.
So far this season, Hickey has scored one goal in 18 Scottish Premiership matches for Hearts, according to WhoScored.
