Celtic are preparing to make a £5million bid for Atalanta right back Timothy Castagne in January, according to the Scottish Sun.
The newspaper claims that Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers has identified the Belgian international as a transfer target and hopes chief executive Peter Lawwell completes the deal next month.
The Serie A side want to keep the 23-year-old but could be persuaded to sell if the Scottish champions come up with a big enough offer.
Rodgers want to bring in a new right back with current incumbent Mikael Lustig now 32 years of age. Castagne made his international debut against Scotland in September.
Good move for Celtic?
Right back is certainly an area where Celtic need to strengthen in January. Lustig is approaching the twilight of his career and has been noticeably patchy at times this season. A younger, more consistent full back is definitely needed on that side of the pitch to match the quality of Kieran Tierney on the opposite flank. Castagne is someone who has succeeded in breaking into the Belgium set up, no mean feat in this day and age, but he’s not been a regular starter for Atalanta this season. He’s flitted in and out of the side in the league and has spent a fair bit of time on the bench. The same was true last campaign, so it’s not as if he’s a star player in the Italian top flight. Still, if Celtic’s recruitment team have identified him as someone worth bringing in then it’s likely he will be good enough to do a job at this level.
This is Futbol rating: 7/10
Likely to happen?
Well the report states that Atalanta could be persuaded to sell so it’s all about Celtic finding the right offer. If they can do that then it’s happy days and they get their man. As ever, it will just come down to finances here.
This is Futbol rating: 6/10