ATHLETIC were hopeful of bolstering their squad ahead of Saturday’s trip to Dundee United with a swoop for a Celtic midfielder.

Ahead of Press Sport going to print yesterday (Wednesday), the club were in advanced negotiations to sign 19-year-old Ben Summers on a loan deal.

The arrangement, which we understand would be a season-long loan, with the Hoops retaining a call-back option in January, was being discussed by both parties, with Dunfermline hopeful of a successful conclusion prior to the game at Tannadice.

Attacking midfielder Summers joined Celtic’s academy at the age of seven, and is known for landing a role to play a young Tommy Burns in a documentary about the Hoops legend.

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The Hamilton-born player, whilst still playing for the club’s under-18s, was selected for the Glasgow giants’ ‘B’ side at the beginning of the 2021/22 Lowland League season, going on to become a regular in the starting line-up.

Last season, he was named on the bench for an SPFL Premiership match with Hibernian and, in September 2022, he signed a new deal to stay at Celtic Park until 2025.

If a deal for Summers is completed, he will follow Dundee goalkeeper Harry Sharp, following his arrival last Thursday, after Deniz Mehmet was ruled out for up to six weeks with an ankle injury, in joining on loan.

This summer, Dunfermline have so far completed five signings, with Michael O’Halloran, Sam Fisher, Ewan Otoo and Kane Ritchie-Hosler having signed for the club prior to Sharp.

Whilst Athletic aimed to get a deal for Summers over the line, manager James McPake told Press Sport that he is still awaiting a decision on a contract offer made to David Wotherspoon.

Last week, the Pars manager confirmed that he had made an offer to the St Johnstone hero, who left the Perth outfit in the summer after 10 years.

During his time with his hometown club, Wotherspoon won the Scottish Cup – Saints’ first major trophy – alongside O’Halloran and Pars assistant boss, Dave Mackay, in 2014, before winning it again, alongside the League Cup, in 2021.

A Canada international, he also featured at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and McPake said: “We’ve put in what we believe is a good offer, but, obviously, David’s an international footballer that’s played at a World Cup and a Gold Cup in the last year.

“He’ll have other options, I’m well aware of that, but the offer has been put in for David. At the minute, there’s been no movement on that, but he still is training away at the minute.

“We’ll see where that goes by the end of the week.”

McPake, who revealed that Matty Todd’s surgery, which took place last Thursday, on the ankle injury he sustained last month against Annan Athletic has “went really well”, said that O’Halloran has resumed training and is “the closest he’s been to featuring” since his competitive debut against Raith Rovers.

He has been unavailable since, but a return to the squad for the trip to United would provide McPake a boost ahead of what he believes will be a keenly-contested match.

Both clubs won their openers, with Jim Goodwin’s men sweeping Arbroath aside 4-0, and the Pars coming back to defeat Airdrieonians.

“We’re delighted it’s on the back of a victory. Dundee United had a very good victory away to Arbroath as well, so it’s two teams that I’d imagine will be high in confidence,” McPake, who will be without the suspended Rhys Breen, noted.

“There should be a decent crowd inside Tannadice as well, so it’s got the makings of a decent game. They’re obviously the team that came down from the Premiership, and we’re the team that came up from League One so, probably on paper, everybody will be looking and saying it’s a big game at home for Dundee United, their first home game, and they should be favourites. That’s fine with us.

“We were happy with our performance against Airdrie. We’ve been relatively happy with how the Viaplay Cup went, albeit we didn’t qualify, which was disappointing.

“We’re happy in terms of performance and fitness levels of the ones that are available so we’ll just go up, concentrate on ourselves, and the rest will take care of itself.

“It’ll certainly be difficult, but it’s not something that will faze any of our players, that’s for sure.”