Celtic and Premier League champions Manchester City are both interested in Ecuador midfielder Jose Cifuentes.
Ecuador starlet Jose Cifuentes has reiterated his interest in signing for Celtic, speaking to Football Scotland, after being left furious about a failed bid from Manchester City.
With August underway, time is running out for the star of the U20 World Cup to seal a move away from his native South America.
The champions of England and Scotland have been going head-to-head for his sought-after signature for some time now and City hoped that they had the edge in this ‘battle of Britain’ affair.
According to Medio Tempo, however, CD Quito have rejected a bid of around £2 million from Pep Guardiola’s side – leaving Cifuentes to make his ‘anger’ and ‘frustration’ very clear.
Fortunately, a potential move to Celtic might still be on the cards.
“It would be very interesting to play there, in the Scottish league. I imagine that they’re are a good team – and I want to be the protagonist in a lot of competitions,” the all-action midfielder.
Earlier in the summer, Cifuentes admitted to Football Scotland that he’d be flattered to sign for a club like Celtic.
“As for any contact [with Celtic] my agent is handling that. I understand that there is interest.
“I want to have the opportunity to leave for Europe. Celtic is a big club with everything that they play for. I had heard of the club before (the interest started).”
And, in truth, a move to Celtic probably makes more sense at this stage of his career. With Scott Brown in his mid-30s these days, Cifuentes could potentially act as a youthful understudy to the Hoops skipper with Neil Lennon’s side looking for success on four fronts next season.
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