The chase is still on

09 July 2010 06:38
Neil Lennon has still two irons in the fire as he builds for new season. Celtic have continued their pursuit of Joe Ledley as the 23-year-old midfielder and his agent, David Baldwin, visited Parkhead for discussions on their latest visit to Scotland. Ledley looks set to commit to a long-term contract after being offered a reported £25,000 weekly wage. A number of Premier League clubs have been linked with interest in Ledley, including Stoke, Liverpool, West Brom and Blackburn. Ledley has made more than 250 appearances for Cardiff after making his debut aged 17 and has picked up 32 caps for his country. Hull are keen to release the 31-year-old from their wage bill following their relegation to the Championship and could sanction a loan deal which would see them pay a portion of his salary. Manager Neil Lennon also remains hopeful of signing Hull midfielder Jimmy Bullard, who remained in Scotland  after visiting the club's Lennoxtown training complex on Thursday. Bullard spent the afternoon on the banks of Loch Lomond as a spectator at the Scottish Open golf tournament. Cardiff would expect several million pounds of compensation if Ledley moved to an English team but FIFA's transfer age limit is a year less for cross-border rules, meaning Celtic would get him for free. Lennon has so far signed two full-backs this summer in South Korea international Cha Du-Ri and former Aberdeen player Charlie Mulgrew. He is also awaiting an answer from former England defender Sol Campbell, who finished last season with Arsenal, after holding talks with the veteran last month. Former Hull and Middlesbrough midfielder George Boateng, 34, trained with Celtic this week, although the chances of him signed will no doubt be affected after he become the victim of a reported attempted sabotage of his car wheels. Lennon and his coaching staff have also been weighing up 22-year-old Montenegro forward Slaven Stjepanovic and 25-year-old Le Mans full-back Ibrahima Camara in training.

Source: FOOTYMAD