Celtic have sent scouts to watch Scotland international Scott McKenna in action for Dinamo Zagreb in recent weeks, as the club considers a summer move for the experienced centre-back. The 29-year-old has been a key figure for the Croatian club this season, making 37 appearances across all competitions and scoring twice as they chase the title.
His form has attracted genuine interest from clubs across Europe, including sides in England, but it is Celtic who have made their attention most visible through the presence of scouts at recent matches. That kind of public scouting interest often signals that discussions are either already underway or imminent.
The financial hurdle is significant. Dinamo Zagreb chief scout Tomislav Sokota has made no attempt to downplay the price, stating that “it’s not just speculation about Scott McKenna, there are serious offers. We are talking about £10 million here.” For Celtic, that fee would make McKenna the most expensive defender in the club’s history, surpassing Christopher Julien and sitting behind only Jota and Arne Engels on their all-time list of biggest transfer fees paid.
Whether Celtic are willing to commit that kind of money to a 29-year-old defender will say a great deal about their planning for next season. McKenna brings experience, physicality and the ability to play out from the back, but players at that age rarely increase significantly in value, meaning the club would be buying a solution rather than an asset.
Celtic are also understood to be in the market for a new striker this summer, with Plymouth Argyle’s Lorent Tolaj and Bim Pepple among those identified as potential options from the English Football League. Adding both a senior defender and a forward in the same window would require careful management of the budget.
On the outgoings side, the club will free up funds from players whose loans have expired and contracts have concluded. Celtic’s net transfer balance gives them room to invest, but the scale of ambition they show in the summer window will determine whether they are building to dominate domestically or pushing for something more meaningful in Europe next term.
McKenna would bring credibility and reliability to a backline that still needs strengthening. The question is whether his price tag and his age make him the right way to spend what could be a record fee for a position that Celtic have historically underinvested in.
