UTRECHT owner Frans van Seumeren has revealed the Dutch club want to keep Celtic misfit Vasilis Barkas.
The Greek international, who became the Parkhead club’s most expensive keeper in history when he joined for £4.5million from AEK Athens in the summer of 2020, made only two appearances for Ange Postecoglou last season.
Blunder Bhoy Barkas, who is under contract at the champions until June 2024, was offloaded in a year-long loan deal in the summer.
OOPS…£4.5million misfit Vasilis Barkas blunders to allow an Evander free-kick to sail into his net for FC Midtjylland’s equaliser in July 2020 – his last first-team appearance at Parkhead.
The 28-year-old netminder’s form has picked up in the Eredivisie and has been praised regularly by head coach Michael Silberbauer who has named in his starting line-up 32 times.
Club supremo Van Seumeren, in a report in the Glasgow Times, admitted: “As a club, we are doing everything we can to keep Vasilis Barkas here, but it is a difficult issue.
“Not least because there are now other clubs also interested after his successful season.”
It’s good news for Celtic who could recoup some of their initial outlay for the shotstopper who was axed by Postecoglou after just one game when he gifted FC Midtjylland an equaliser in the 1-1 draw in the Champions League qualifier in July, the new gaffer’s first compeitive game in charge.
Barkas was dropped for the return leg in Denmark with Scott Bain taking over as the Hoops lost 2-1 in extra-time.
His only other appearance came in the 3-1 league win over St Johnstone in Perth on Boxing Day 2021 when both regular Joe Hart and his deputy Bain were unfit.
Overall, Barkas made just 16 league starts for the club as he toiled in Scotland.
A permanent transfer is clearly the answer with the keeper having no future at the Hoops.
