Calve 'free' to join Hoops for nothing

Nancy defender Jean Calve has told Celtic they can sign him for nothing.

The Ligue One side have reportedly offered the full-back to the Hoops for £600,000 as part of a £1.8m double deal with midfielder Landry NGuemo, who was on loan at Parkhead last season.

However, Calve, who was close to signing for Celtic last summer, insists he has a clause in his contract which allows him to leave without a fee after a bonus row.

“When Celtic signed Landry on loan last year they spoke to Nancy about me joining them too,” he said.

“They wanted to sign me, not at the money Nancy were asking for. It was too high a price and the deal was off.

“I kept in touch with Landry and Marc-Antoine Fortune about Celtic and from what I hear it’s a fantastic club with a great support.

“They are one of the biggest clubs in Europe and I’d be delighted to sign for them. What player wouldn’t?

“The big difference between this year and last is the transfer fee. This year I won’t cost anything. I still have two years left on my contract at Nancy, but I’m free to speak to any club I want and free to move if they want to sign me.

“I have official signed documents from Nancy agreeing to these conditions.

“Nancy were almost five months late with a substantial bonus payment and when I threatened to take legal action, it was agreed I wouldn’t take any action if they signed papers allowing me to leave on a free transfer.”