Celtic are ready to ‘step up’ their interest in Iran’s World Cup star Milad Mohammadi and the player is considering a switch to the Scottish Champions, according to the Scottish Sun.
They claim that Celtic want to secure his services on a pre-contract agreement in January, with his contract at Akhmat Grozny due to expire in the summer.
The report claims that the player, known for his speed and versatility, is aware of Celtic’s interest and wants a move to Britain.
However, Watford manager Javi Gracia is said to be very interested and could make a move to buy him in January rather than wait for the summer.
Mohammadi is said to be considering Celtic as he ponders his next move.
OPINION
This is an interesting situation, with the player set to move and interested in making the switch to Britain. That would seemingly rule out Fenerbahce, who have also shown an interest, and leave it as a straight race between Celtic and Watford at the moment. With the player able to leave in the summer for free, Akhmat Grozny may well try and cash in on the player this January and Watford are said to be open to this. If Brendan Rodgers is serious he may well have to be prepared to spend, although Mohammadi wouldn’t command a big fee because of his contract situation. Could Rodgers offer him first-team football? That could be another consideration. Kieran Tierney is well established in the left-back role at Celtic so he might well just be brought in as cover. That could leave the door open for other clubs to steal in. A move to Celtic must be attractive though – the chance to play on such a big stage and compete in Europe. Mohammadi is a good player as well, with 22 caps for his country. This is definitely one to watch.