It’s claimed Parkhead officials have not acted further following making an enquiry to AEK Athens over the left-back.
It had been thought former Hearts defender Penrice was being considered as an option to support Kieran Tierney and compete for a starting spot.
Celtic currently only have Kieran Tierney at left-back but will not have Marcelo Saracchi after the player confirmed he would not be moving to Parkhead this summer.
Celtic’s initial enquiry for James Penrice has not been followed up. Deal not expected to progress now.🍀 https://t.co/zjtpvQFXjY
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 25, 2026
It means Martin O’Neill is light at left-back other than moving Liam Scales to the role instead of his more familiar centre-back position.
Rangers have also been linked with a move for Penrice in recent windows. Reports in Greece suggested a January move for the defender was rejected.
GiveMeSport journalist Ben Jacobs has now revealed no deal for Penrice to move to Celtic is expected to progress.
On X, he posted: “Celtic’s initial enquiry for James Penrice has not been followed up.
“Deal not expected to progress now.”
