Celtic are reportedly pursuing Ecuadorian midfielder Jose Cifuentes.
According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic are aiming to beat Manchester City to the signing of CD America midfielder Jose Cifuentes.
Cifuentes, 20, has just featured for Ecuador at the Under-20 World Cup in Poland, and his performances appear to have attracted real interest.
Primarily a defensive midfielder, Cifuentes is attempting to establish himself in the CD America side over in Ecuador, but he could find himself signing for a British club soon.
It’s believed that Celtic are keen on a £2.5million deal, and will hope to add him to their midfield options having just agreed to sign David Turnbull from Motherwell too.
Whilst Turnbull is an attack-minded player, Cifuentes would do some of the dirty work in a post-Scott Brown world, and that may be part of the appeal for Celtic as they look to the long-term.
Striking a deal would be a major coup, especially as it would ruin Pep Guardiola’s plans. It’s believed that the Manchester City boss wants to land Cifuentes before immediately loaning him to Genoa, where his brother Pere is a major shareholder.
City would wait for Cifuentes to get a work permit to play in England, but rules are different in Scotland, meaning he may be able to feature in Neil Lennon’s side immediately.
Cifuentes would then be faced with a difficult decision at such a young age; sign for a huge club but be farmed out to the second tier of Spanish football for an unknown length of time, or head to Celtic where he can establish himself quicker. Celtic will be hoping it’s the latter, beating a club they actually have strong links to themselves.
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