Celtic want Vinicius Souza and are pushing him for an answer on a possible transfer with Manchester City trying to help their cause.
The Bhoys have seen Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic leave the club this summer so a midfield addition may now be on Ange Postecoglou’s wish list.
Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, David Turnbull, James McCarthy, Yosuke Ideguchi and Matt O’Reily are all in the midfield mix for Celtic, but a Button replacement could be wanted.
A number of players have been linked with moves to Parkhead, including Vitoria de Guimaraes ace Alfa Semedo.
The main name involved has been Vinicius Souza, but Celtic’s pursuit of the Brazilian ace is far from simple.
Celtic want Vinicius Souza
Souza, 23, was on the books at Flamengo in his native Brazil before heading to Belgium with Lommel – a club involved in the City Football Group.
Lommel loaned Souza to Mechelen last summer and he enjoyed a great season, sparking Celtic’s interest.
The Daily Record claim that Celtic are now pushing Souza for an answer on a possible transfer and warned him that they will not wait around forever.
Schalke, Fenerbahce and Real Betis are also keen and Celtic are desperate for Souza to finally come to a decision after weeks of talks.
Souza is currently training with Manchester City thanks to those ties to the City Football Group.
City are keen to help Celtic get a deal done due to ties to Ange Postecoglou and head of recruitment Mark Lawwell.
Yet if Souza wants to hold out for other clubs in Europe, City’s help may not make all that much difference to Celtic’s hopes.
This feels eerily similar to 2019 when Celtic chased Douglas Luiz, only for the City-owned midfielder to end up at Aston Villa instead.
Souza is a talented young midfielder and could be the ideal replacement for Bitton as an aggressive anchor man, but Celtic’s hopes hang in the balance.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
