Celtic Make Contact With AEK Over Left‑Back James Penrice

The enquiry seeks cover for Kieran Tierney and could test whether AEK will cut their asking price for a player under contract to 2028.

Overview

Multiple outlets reported Tuesday that Celtic have made an initial contact with AEK Athens about signing 27‑year‑old James Penrice from Greece.
Penrice joined AEK from Hearts in summer 2025 for a reported £2 million and remains under contract with the Greek club until June 2028.
His first season at AEK is widely described as underwhelming, with 20 Greek Super League appearances, 1,367 minutes, zero goals and seven yellow cards.
Rangers have also been linked as a possible destination if AEK open formal replacement talks, but their publicly stated transfer priorities currently focus on a left‑side centre‑back, a right winger and a central midfielder.
AEK retain bargaining power because of Penrice’s contract length, though coverage says the fee could fall below the 2025 price if the player wants to return to Britain and AEK move to sell.