Despite being in negotiations with Anderlecht, free agent Koen Casteels has emerged as a potential for Parkhead.
The 31-year-old goalie waved farewell to Wolfsburg after nine seasons and 275 games for the Bundesliga side.
Hart’s playing career will come to an end following Saturday’s Scottish Cup final against Rangers at Hampden.
Celtic have added Koen Casteels, a Belgian international goalkeeper, to their list of potential replacements for Joe Hart.
Hart’s playing career will come to an end when the Parkhead side faces Rangers in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday.
With the freshly crowned champions looking for a successor for the former England No. 1, free agent Casteels has emerged as a possibility, despite conversations with Anderlecht about returning to Belgium from Germany.
The 31-year-old made his final appearance for Wolfsburg in a home loss to Mainz on Saturday, waving an emotional goodbye to fans after nine seasons and 275 games with the Bundesliga side.
Anderlecht’s dreams of pulling Casteels home were dashed when they lost to Club Brugge over the weekend, therefore ending their chances of winning the Pro League and qualifying for the Champions League.
Speaking after his farewell game for Wolfsburg, he informed the club’s website, ‘I don’t have a new club yet. We’ve already had preliminary discussions, but it’s not known which club I’ll be playing for next season.
Casteels began his career at the Genk academy and later went on to TSG Hoffenheim before joining Wolfsburg. He helped them win the German Super Cup in 2015-2016, keeping 91 clean sheets.
Casteels expressed his admiration for the German club, saying, “Looking back, things have worked out just as we imagined them at the time — for me and Wolfsburg.”
‘I obviously have a great connection with Wolfsburg. My son was born in Wolfsburg, therefore I’ll always have a link to the city and club.
‘When I look back on my career after my playing days are done, Wolfsburg will undoubtedly be the club where I spent the most time, allowing me to develop from a youngster into an established Bundesliga goalkeeper.’
Celtic have been connected with several names in their search for a new goalkeeper.
Alex McCarthy of Southampton, Etienne Vaessen of Waalwijk, Arijanet Muric of Burnley, Asmir Begovic of QPR, and Turkish international Ugurcan Cakir of Trabzonspor have all been linked with a move to Glasgow.
Brendan Rodgers may also be looking for a second backup goalkeeper from within the club if Benjamin Siegrist leaves, with Motherwell’s Liam Kelly being considered.
