Celtic have been handed a huge boost in their race to sign Bournemouth winger Jordon Ibe, according to Football Insider.
Ibe has reportedly told Bournemouth that he wants to join Celtic before their window shuts on September 2, after his career has stalled on the south coast.
Celtic have submitted an offer to take the player on loan and held initial talks, and are willing to pay a “significant portion” of his £40,000-a-week wages.
Ibe going backwards
Ibe promised so much after he made his debut in the Premier League for Liverpool as a 17-year-old six years ago. He provided the assist in the 1-0 win against QPR before making the bench multiple times the following season.
He made 58 appearances for Liverpool in total before signing for Bournemouth for £16m three years ago.
However, Ibe’s career is going backwards at the moment and he’s only made one cameo appearance this season totalling 21 minutes.
He’s made 89 appearances for Bournemouth but he’s struggled to produce the end product to keep him playing in the Premier League.
He scored four goals for Liverpool and has only managed one more for Eddie Howe, adding nine assists in his time on the south coast.
TiF Tactics – Can Celtic get the 17/18 Ibe back?
The 17/18 season was Ibe’s best with six assists and two goals in 32 Premier League appearances.
According to WyScout he made close to nine dribbles per 90 minutes with an impressive 61% success rate. He took 2.2 shots per 90, provided 2.32 crosses and had just over two touches in the box.
The Premiership is a much lower standard than the Premier League and Ibe is obviously relishing the opportunity of getting his career back on track north of the border.
If he can rediscover his hunger and his form, we think he could be a big hit for Celtic.