Caoimhin Kelleher‘s future is expected to become a topic for Liverpool again this summer, with Celtic and three Premier League clubs among those interested.
Having emerged as a reliable backup for Liverpool in recent years, including 11 appearances in place of Alisson this season, Kelleher has designs on becoming a No. 1.
Due to the level of competition at Anfield, with Alisson the best goalkeeper in world football, there is little chance of the Irishman breaking through full-time.
That has raised the prospect of a permanent switch, which was widely expected to have happened last summer only for Jurgen Klopp to block any exit.
This year may be a different story, with Kelleher having turned 25 in November and moving into the final two years of his contract at the end of the season.
According to the Mail‘s Lewis Steele, Celtic are “one of many clubs” interested in Liverpool’s deputy ‘keeper ahead of the summer transfer window.
Joe Hart, who is 37 in April, will see his contract expire at the end of the season, and Kelleher has been earmarked as a possible replacement.
Celtic are, of course, not alone in their interest, with Steele noting that “three Premier League clubs have also watched the goalkeeper this season.”
Those clubs are as yet unnamed, with it unlikely that two of the sides who explored a deal for Kelleher last summer – Brighton and Brentford – are in the running, having since signed new No. 1s.
It is maintained that whether to leave Liverpool is “a decision he has not yet made,” with the opportunity to develop further in the first-team squad at Anfield certainly an attractive one.
From the club’s perspective, too, keeping their No. 62 would be the ideal scenario, and any sale would hinge on the player seeking regular game time and prospective buyers committing a “fair transfer fee.”
But with Kelleher’s deal set to run out in 2026, it is more than likely that a decision will be made in one way or another this summer.
If he were to leave, Liverpool have been dubiously linked with Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson as Kelleher’s replacement, though Steele succinctly puts that “there are doubts over whether the 23-year-old is good enough.”
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