French Ligue 1 side Nancy have warned Celtic that they must pay £1million before the end of the season if they want to make Landry N’Guemo’s transfer permanent. The Cameroon international is currently on loan at Celtic Park but the club have an option to extend the player’s stay long-term if they pay the full transfer fee before April 30.
N’Guemo has been a regular in Tony Mowbray’s starting line-up since joining Celtic in the summer and linking up with ex-Nancy team-mate Marc-Antoine Fortune. However, if Celtic do not meet the terms of the agreement with the French club the player and Nancy would be open to offer from other sides.
There have been suggestions that English Premier League sides West Ham United and Stoke City are keeping tabs on the player, who was linked with Arsenal in January.
The Cameroon international is set to play for his country at the World Cup in South Africa in the summer and if Celtic do not sign the midfielder up before then there is a chance that other clubs could make a move.
Nancy could profit from a bidding war opening up and sporting director Nicolas Holveck confirmed the details of the agreement and the potential consequences. The French club benefited from a similar situation last season when West Bromwich Albion failed to pay a similar clause to sign Fortune and saw Celtic pay the Ligue 1 side double the amount WBA had agreed.
“When Landry moved to Celtic on loan we struck an agreement between the clubs over the fee for a permanent transfer,” Holveck confirmed.
“That option is in place until April 30 but after that he becomes our property and we can decide what club he plays for next season.
“Celtic haven’t opened formal discussions over making Landry’s move permanent but they still have time to do that.”
