Celtic dramatically snapped up highly-rated Dundee defender Jack Hendry late last night with the Dark Blues receiving what is understood to be a club record transfer fee of well over £1 million plus add-ons for the player.
Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers has been a long-time admirer of the 22-year-old who joined the Dark Blues in the summer after leaving English outfit Wigan.
And with just minutes to spare until the transfer window shut for the season, the Parkhead boss finally got his man with Hendry signing a four-and-a-half year deal with the Glasgow club.
There had been suggestions that the defender would immediately be loaned back to Dundee but that will not be happening.
However, as Hendry was leaving, former Dundee United striker Simon Murray was drafted in from Hibs on loan until the end of the season.
Hendry, who started his career at Partick Thistle, has appeared 30 times for Neil McCann’s side this season and produced another assured performance up in Inverness on Tuesday evening to help Dundee progress into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.
The manager was adamant earlier this month that the days when Dundee would “accept poor offers for exceptional talent” were well and truly over and he had been determined to hold on to Hendry saying he was an important part of his plans for the club.
However, Celtic successfully tested the Dark Blues’ resolve and Hendry is now their player.
Dundee had also been linked all day with a tangled transfer triangle whereby frozen-out Dens keeper Scott Bain’s loan deal at Hibs was going to be brought to an end so he could sign for Celtic as cover for the injured Craig Gordon.
At the same time, midfielder Scott Allan, who was supposed to be on loan at Dundee until the end of the season, was going to have that deal torn up and instead was to move to Hibs.
That in turn would mean that Murray, who was left out of the Hibs squad to face Motherwell last night, would be leaving Easter Road to sign for the Dark Blues.
All three deals have gone through.
