Celtic have signed a number of players on loan this season. Most of them have not made the desired impact so far. But then, there have been a few who have stood out and could potentially be in line for a permanent move in the summer if things work out.

In a few cases, Celtic do have options to buy included in the loan deals. But then there are other ones where they will have to agree on transfer fees with their parent clubs, if they want to make a move happen.

Julian Araujo is a prime candidate for a permanent move to Celtic in the summer. The Mexican international was the only signing made during Wilfried Nancy's stint as the manager of the club. He arrived on loan from Bournemouth until the end of the season.

Araujo has managed to establish himself as not only a starter for Celtic but a fan favourite as well, something that is not easy to do when results have not been up to the mark.

With Alistair Johnston out injured, Araujo has been an important part of this first team since his arrival. There will be increased competition for places when the Canadian returns to fitness.

That being said, with Johnston's injury history, it might be time for the club to start considering the future of the right-back beyond him as the starter.

As for Araujo, he seems to be loving life at Celtic Park. Just that won't be enough to seal a permanent move to Parkhead though.

Ultimately, money might end up being the deciding factor. Araujo is believed to be on a significant salary at Bournemouth. So, he will need to take a pay cut if he wants to end up joining the Hoops on a permanent basis.

According to 67 Hail Hail, Michael Gannon said on the Record Celtic Podcast: 

“So a £9 million signing from Barcelona comes with a hefty wage bill, and I’m led to believe it’s somewhere north of £65,000-£70,000 a week.

“Listen, I’ve not got that nailed down, but you’re in that ballpark. That £60,000 a week -plus ballpark.

“That’s the going rate for a back-up right-back in the Premier League these days, scarily enough. So you’re in that ballpark, and he’s got a couple of years left.

“So for Araujo to stay at Celtic, he’s going to need to take a pay cut for a start. So he’d need to negotiate and either walk away from two years on that kind of money and say ‘rip up my contract, let’s wish for the best…’

“Or you can sell me for four or five million quid…

“So financially, it’s a tricky one. If he can say, ‘give me a year’s wages and I’ll go and take a pay cut’, then yeah, but that’s not realistic. This guy’s got a family to look after, and you can’t expect him to do that.”

That kind of a salary would make Araujo one of the highest-paid players at Celtic, if not the very highest-paid.

It is hard to imagine that the club would be open to paying that much for a right-back, who might not even be a starter when Johnston becomes available, no matter how popular he is amongst the fans.

If they can find a satisfactory financial solution between all parties, Celtic signing Araujo would be a bit of a no-brainer though.

And it would make sense for both Araujo and Bournemouth as well, after he made just one appearance for the Cherries in the first half of the previous campaign.

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