Celtic want Vinicius Souza and are pressing him for an answer on a possible transfer with Manchester City trying to help their cause.
The Bhoys have seen Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic leave the club this summer, so a new midfield signing could now be on Ange Postecoglou’s wish list.
Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, David Turnbull, James McCarthy, Yosuke Ideguchi and Matt O’Reily are all in midfield for Celtic but a button replacement could be desirable.
A number of players have been linked with moves to Parkhead, including Vitoria de Guimaraes ace Alfa Semedo.
The main name was Vinicius Souza but Celtic’s hunt for the Brazilian ace is far from easy.
Celtic want Vinicius Souza
Souza, 23, was on the books at Flamengo in his native Brazil before moving to Belgium with Lommel – a club in City Football Group.
Lommel loaned Souza to Mechelen last summer and he’s had a great season which has attracted interest from Celtic.
The Daily Record claim Celtic are now pushing Souza for a response on a potential transfer and warned they won’t wait forever.
Schalke, Fenerbahce and Real Betis are also keen and Celtic are keen for Souza to finally make a decision after weeks of talks.
Thanks to those City Football Group ties, Souza is currently training with Manchester City.
City are keen to help Celtic secure a deal as he has ties to Ange Postecoglou and recruitment manager Mark Lawwell.
But if Souza wants to last for other clubs in Europe, City’s help might not make all that much of a difference to Celtic’s hopes.
This feels eerily similar to 2019 when Celtic chased Douglas Luiz, only the City midfielder ended up at Aston Villa instead.
Souza is a talented young midfielder and could be the ideal replacement for Bitton as an aggressive anchorman but Celtic’s hopes depend on balance.
In other news, Simon Jordan predicts a move from Crystal Palace for a £10m goal at Southampton