Yorke heads to Scotland’s Celtic

LONDON: TOP Scottish Premier League football club Celtic are chasing the signature of Trinidad and Tobago’s Dwight Yorke ahead of the transfer deadline. BBC Sport believe that Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has also offered Marcel Desailly, who left Chelsea in the summer, a contract yesterday afternoon. Celtic have confirmed that Blackburn’s Yorke had arrived in Glasgow for talks. A Celtic statement said: “We have been given permission to speak to the player with a view to taking over the remainder of his contract.” The 32-year-old former TT international, who has had a stormy recent relationship with Rovers manager Graeme Souness, could cost about ?500,000 from the English club.

But Yorke could complete Celtic’s search for another quality striker. Manager Martin O’Neill lost Henrik Larsson to Champions League opponents Barcelona at the end of his contract during the summer. And Henri Camara has so far failed to impress during his loan spell from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Yorke, previously with Aston Villa, joined Blackburn from United for ?2m in 2002 and had a year of his contract to run. But he has not found the net in his four appearances in the English Premiership this season and has lost his place to Scotland international Paul Dickov. He came off the substitutes’ bench for Rovers against former club Manchester United on Saturday. Celtic insist that reports that Yorke had already signed a three-year deal were untrue. O’Neill is aware that he needs another experienced defender ahead of the Champions League campaign and believes that former France captain Desailly fits the bill as a possible partner for Bobo Balde.

Desailly, released by Chelsea at the age of 34 after the arrival of Jose Mourinho as coach, was an integral part of French success at the 1998 World Cup and European Championship two years later but played just one game in Euro 2004. O’Neill could sign the free agent after the transfer deadline but wants an answer in case he needs to switch his attentions to another target. The Scottish champions have also been linked with Sunderland full-back Julio Arca and there have been unconfirmed reports that he too was at Celtic Park for talks. But the English Championship club’s manager, Mick McCarthy, insisted that the ?1m-rated 23-year-old Argentine would be in his team last night’s meeting with Reading.