Celtic are on course for yet another impressive domestic campaign, despite losing 1-0 at the weekend, as Brendan Rodgers’s side close in on a fourth successive Scottish Premiership title at Parkhead.
The Hoops have already won the League Cup trophy, beating their fierce rivals on penalties in the first half of the season, and are in the semi-finals of the SFA Cup, which means that they are still on for a domestic treble.
Rodgers, however, will know that success at Paradise comes with a price in the summer transfer window, as their star performers garner interest from elsewhere.
The Hoops are no strangers to cashing in on their top talent and have extracted excellent value out of their key men over the past decade or so in particular, most recently cashing in on Kyogo Furuhashi in January.
As you can see in the graphic above, the Scottish giants have sold three players for £25m – including current star Jota, who returned to the club from Rennes in January – and have sold nine players for more than £10m.
One of the players they have made more than £10m from by selling has been Dutch full-back Jeremie Frimpong, whom the Bhoys played a masterstroke with.
Why Celtic hit the jackpot with Jeremie Frimpong
The Premiership side swooped to sign the young defender from Premier League outfit Manchester City in the summer of 2019 for a reported fee of just £350k.
Whilst a lot of clubs may focus on signing proven, experienced, players to come in and almost have a guaranteed impact on the team, Celtic are willing to gamble on young talent in the hope that it pays off in the long run.
Frimpong had not made a single first-team appearance for Manchester City, or any club, by the time that the Hoops signed him, which meant that they did not know what to expect from him on the pitch in the Premiership.
The Dutchman went on to play 51 times, scoring three goals and providing seven assists, in all competitions for Celtic in just 18 months at the club, as he hit the ground running in Glasgow to become a regular at right-back.
The young starlet’s impressive form for the Hoops led to interest from elsewhere, and Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen swooped for his services in the January transfer window in 2021.
Celtic reportedly raked in a fee of £11m for his services, as shown in the earlier graphic, to make him one of the most expensive sales in the club’s history, just 18 months on from being signed for a measly £350k from Manchester City.
This shows that the Scottish giants hit the jackpot with Frimpong because they turned an unproven academy talent, worth just £350k, into an £11m player who was wanted by one of the biggest sides in Europe.
Celtic may, now, have unearthed their next version of the Dutch defender ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window, but it is not the team’s current right-back Alistair Johnston.
Alistair Johnston's current market value
The Canada international joined the club from CF Montreal at the start of 2023, under Ange Postecoglou, and has been a regular starter at right-back ever since, racking up 105 appearances in all competitions to date.
Johnston has started 27 of his 28 appearances in the Premiership so far this season, scoring four goals and creating 13 ‘big chances’, after he started all 32 of his outings in the division in the 2023/24 campaign.
Despite his impressive form at right-back for the Scottish giants over the past two-and-a-half years, his current market value – as per Transfermarkt – stands at €10m (£8.5m).
This means that, at his current value, Johnston would not be sold as one of the top ten biggest sales in the club’s history, and is currently worth less than what Frimpong was sold to Leverkusen for.
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There is another Celtic defender, however, who is currently worth more than £10m and could be the club’s next star to be sold to the Bundesliga for big money.
Celtic have unearthed their new Jeremie Frimpong
Cameron Carter-Vickers is on course to become the club’s new Frimpong as his value has soared during his time at Parkhead, and he has been linked with a move to Germany.
American journalist Larry Henry Jr reported earlier this season that ‘multiple sources’ confirmed that Bayer Leverkusen hold an interest in the Celtic central defender, although no offer had been made at that time.
This suggests that there is the potential for him to follow Frimpong to his new club in the upcoming summer transfer window if Leverkusen decide to act on their interest in him by making a bid for his services.
His value has doubled since signing for Celtic on a permanent deal in the summer of 2022 from Tottenham Hotspur, at which point he was valued at €7m (£6m) by Transfermarkt.
At the time of writing (08/04/2025), Carter-Vickers is valued at €14m (£12m) by Transfermarkt, which is double what it was when he joined the club and more than the amount the club raked in for Frimpong from Leverkusen.
Appearances
33
29
25
26
Clean sheets
17
13
8
14
Error led to shot
0
0
0
1
Error led to goal
0
0
0
0
Ground duel success rate
59%
59%
62%
64%
Aerial duel success rate
73%
74%
71%
75%
As you can see in the table above, the USA international has built that value by delivering consistently impressive performances in the Premiership for the Hoops over several seasons, with zero errors that have led to opposition goals in four league campaigns to date.
The dominant defender, who has never won below 71% of his aerial battles in a season, is currently the most valuable player at the club, per Transfermarkt, at £12m and that means that he could be the next star to be sold for big money in the off-season.
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Therefore, Celtic have unearthed their next Frimpong in Carter-Vickers because he could be sold to the Bundesliga, and Leverkusen in particular, for more than £10m in the next window.