Loftus Road side set to complete move for Parkhead star.
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Queens Park Rangers are piling the pressure on Scottish side Celtic to accept their bid for Gary Hooper, after the striker did not travel with the side for their Champions League qualifier against Cliftonville according to the BBC.
The 25 year-old has been subject to interest from a whole host of clubs in recent years, but Celtic’s valuation has always been too much of a gamble. Now it appears Harry Redknapp has reached an agreement with the Scottish champions for Hooper, around £5million. Personal terms are reported to have been agreed, but the QPR boss told Sky Sports the opposite.
“He’s [Hooper] a player we’ve made an inquiry for, but I don’t know where we’re at. We’re not close to it at the moment,” Harry told Sky Sports News.
“He’s a player we like, but it’s whether they want to sell him and whether we can pay enough money for him, basically. If not, we move on.”
The R’s are desperate to land a deal for a new striker since French international Loic Remy is poised to leave Loftus Road this summer, with Newcastle United as favourites to sign the 26 year-old – despite his £75,000-a-week wages.
If the Hoops fail in their attempt to sign Hooper, it already seems clear that Redknapp will not spend any time sulking about it, with potential targets already lined up.
Celtic’s assistant manager, Johan Mjallby, has already told reporters that the Scottish side are not looking to sell anymore players, but instead they would rather spend on depth, especially after the recent sale of Victor Wanyama.
But Johan did tell reporters, “It looks likely that Gary Hooper will leave the club but the final word has not been said, so we will see. A bid came in last night, but I don’t know how the club has responded to it.”