Christopher Jullien, the Celtic defender, looks set to finalise a move to Schalke ’04, the Bundesliga club who are keen to sign him on a season-long loan.
The French defender, who has one year left on his Celtic contract, was in Germany last night, preparing for a medical that would clear the way for a deal to be struck.
Jullien, 29, joined Celtic in a £7 million transfer from Toulouse three years ago. He was a key player during his first season in Glasgow, but a serious knee injury picked up in December 2020 sidelined him until early this year.
Despite his return to fitness, Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers are established in central defence and Jullien’s opportunities have been limited. He recently admitted that, if he remained on the bench, he would consider his future.
Celtic returned to pre-season training on Monday but Jullien posted a photograph on Instagram, taken from the seat of an aeroplane. While he later deleted the image, it is now clear that he was exploring his options abroad.
Schalke have just been promoted to Germany’s top flight and are keen to bolster their defence. Ko Itakura, linked with Celtic, has returned to Manchester City after a season-long loan in Gelsenkirchen. And Malick Thiaw, a centre back valued at about £8 million, is expected to leave before the season starts.
Jullien is one of several players on their way out of Celtic. Vasilis Barkas has already joined Utrecht on loan. Albian Ajeti, Ismael Soro and Boli Bolingoli are also expected to leave as Ange Postecoglou makes further changes to the squad he overhauled last season.
Carter-Vickers, previously on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, has signed a permanent deal. Jota, the Benfica winger, is expected to do the same. Benjamin Siegrist has arrived to compete with Joe Hart for the goalkeeper’s jersey. And Alexandro Bernabei, the Argentinian left back, is on the verge of completing a move from Lanus.
