Champions of England and Scotland, Celtic and Manchester City, are reportedly battling to sign Ecuador wonder-kid Jose Cifuentes.
Jose Cifuentes has handed Celtic a boost by admitting to El Comercio that he plans to leave CD America this summer, but he also admits that Manchester City is a dream destination.
The Scottish Premiership champions have already spent over £10 million this summer but they are not done yet. Neil Lennon is keen to add more fresh faces to Celtic’s squad and, with Scott Brown not getting any younger, a fresh alternative would be welcome in the centre of the park.
Ecuadorian wonderkid Cifuentes would be exactly that.
According to the Scottish Sun, the 20-year-old’s exceptional performances at the recent U20 World Cup caught the eye of both Celtic and Manchester City. The champions of England and Scotland are going head-to-head for a deal that could cost £2.5 million.
But what does Cifuentes himself have to say about the ongoing speculation?
“My intention is to leave. I have given everything to CD America,” he said. “I hope to leave before the end of the year.
“One of the interested teams is Manchester City. I would like to go there. I like English football. I want to go out and take on new challenges.”
The Scottish Sun stated that, should City win the race, Cifuentes will be loaned out to Girona in the Spanish second tier to hone his considerable talents.
Celtic, however, could be willing to offer the deep-lying midfielder the chance to fight for first-team football straight away at Parkhead. After all, there is room in Lennon’s squad for a ball-winning midfielder.
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