By Lewis Anderson

Copyright glasgowworld

Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond is reportedly ‘in talks’ to sell his UK nursing group business amid mounting pressure and unrest between Hoops fans and the board over a lack of summer transfer spend. Desmond has owned Barchester Healthcare alongside horse racing supremo JP McManus and John Magnier since the early 1990s, with the company now valued at £4 billion. According to The Business Post, interest is growing from American groups Welltower and Ventas over a potential takeover deal. It comes after Celtic supporter groups came together to organise a late-entry protest against Kilmarnock last weekend and warned of taking further action if Desmond, chairman Peter Lawwell and chief executive Michael Nicholson are not removed from the Parkhead board The Celtic hierarchy have been targeted by stinging criticism in recent months, which was heightened further after an abysmal end to the summer transfer window. The delayed arrival of a new striker following Adam Idah’s departure and failure to qualify for the Champions League had led calls for major changes at boardroom level. However, Desmond has already confessed he will NOT sell his slice of the Scottish champions. As reported by Sharecast, the 75-year-old Irishman holds 32,772,073 shares which has a market value of £59,863,654.86. In the wide-ranging interview back in 2022, Desmond said: “Nobody has ever approached me about buying shares from me, that’s in the last 27 years or so. I have no intention of selling any shares, not now or in the future, even if somebody offers me a price three or four times the current share price, I’m not selling. “I’ve been privileged and honoured to be able to be a shareholder of a club I supported as a youth and I’ve been a fan for well over 50 years. Therefore I’ll continue to be a fan and shareholder and hopefully contribute to the continued development of the club.” Former non-executive Hoops director Lord Willie Haughey has leapt to Desmond’s defence by urging fans to be careful what they wish for amid growing criticism. Haughey, who played a crucial role in the club’s transformation after the 1994 takeover, told PLZ Soccer: “It looks like peace is breaking out. I saw Brendan’s last press comments were good and it looks as if there’s a bit of healing. Hopefully that is the case. “Everybody is disappointed to go out of the Champions League and in a couple of the performances but overall, if you think about the 30 years before that and all the hard times, we’ve actually been spoilt the last 15 years or so. “I would just say that Dermot and his involvement with the club has put us where we are. Let’s back off a wee bit and keep supporting the team.” Your next read: How to watch Partick Thistle vs Celtic – kick off time, TV channel and team news ahead of Premier Sports Cup showdown