4.11.99   £4m Matteo is Celtic bound (The Daily Post)

GLASGOW CELTIC are preparing a new £4million offer to prise Dominic Matteo away from Liverpool. Parkhead chief John Barnes is ready to move again for his former Anfield team-mate after failing in the summer with a bid to sign the left-back.

Barnes believes 25-year-old Matteo can ease his on-going defensive headaches and wants to make him his next high-profile recruit as he attempts to challenge rivals Rangers' continued supremacy north of the border.

A firm bid of around £4m is now set to be lodged and Liverpool could find the offer too hard to resist. Matteo stressed at the time of the initial interest in July he was determined to fight for a regular place in Gerard Houllier's revolution and went on to start the first seven Premiership matches of the season.

But he has recently seen Houllier fail in a bid to sign French defender Mickael Silvestre, and was replaced by Steve Staunton in the Liverpool team for Monday's impressive 3-1 victory over Bradford City.

The presence of ex-Reds legend Kenny Dalglish - who first spotted Matteo - at Celtic could also persuade the player to consider moving on.

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