Celtic are on the verge of signing of Ajax Cape Town centre-back Rivaldo Coetzee, according to Sport24.
The South African news outlet claims that Coetzee, 20, is ready to travel to Glasgow this week to complete his Parkhead switch and the confirmation of his arrival will be made within days.
It is said that the centre-back is regarded as one of South Africa’s best defensive prospects since Lucas Radebe and that he is likely to be included in Brendan Rodgers’ Champions League squad for the group stages, as long as their is not an unexpected result in Kazakhstan against Astana this week.
Coetzee, who has 16 international caps for South Africa, could be seen as a back-up option in the centre of defence following injuries to Dedryck Boyata and Erik Sviatchenko.
Good move for Celtic?
Coetzee is a very unproven talent. South African aren’t the best team on the continent like they were a few years ago and although the Ajax CT ace is playing regularly for them, he might not be ready for a step up the Scottish Premiership football. Although the quality of opposition might not be that different, the pressure of playing for Celtic could see the 20-year-old buckle. It remains to be seen whether this is good business or not.
This is Futbol rating: 5/10
Likely to happen?
Celtic could probably do with an extra centre-back in their squad given recent injuries to Sviatchenko and Boyata. There are yet to be any reports emanating from Scotland about Coetzee’s arrival however Ajax CT’s technical director has confirmed that the Bhoys are keen on him. It remains to be seen whether or not the Hoops have taken their interest to the next level, but they better move quickly as deadline day will be upon them very soon.
This is Futbol rating: 6/10