Boss Ronny Deila had been assessing the central defender with his scouting network alert to his availability on a free transfer. Mensah’s contract with French outfit Evian expires in the summer and the Hoops were among the clubs keen on signing the 24-year-old.
However, the chances of a move have been thrown into jeopardy by the FIFA suspension which has been imposed in a breach-of-contract case. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said its appeal panel upheld Mensah’s ban, imposed by FIFA last July in a case dating back to 2011.
World football’s governing body judged the player, who has 27 caps for his country, was still under contract to Udinese when he claimed to be a free agent and joined the French club four years ago.
He will, therefore, serve the final three months of the ban from the start of his next club’s new season.
Effectively, that means Mensah would not be available for the Champions League qualifiers and some of the group stage should they progress. That news is bound to make Deila switch his interest elsewhere as Mensah’s name is crossed off the manager’s central defender shopping list.
