Scottish Premiership champions Celtic are facing an Olivier Ntcham challenge – will he replace Anfield-linked Boubakary Soumare at Ligue 1 outfit Lille?
Lille could make a summer move for Celtic’s Olivier Ntcham, according to LeFoot, in a deal which could aid Liverpool’s pursuit of Boubakary Soumare.
After turning his nose up at a January move to Newcastle United, one of Europe’s most in-demand midfielders might just find that patience is a virtue. Because, with all due respect to The Magpies, it seems that Soumare could be on his way to something better.
Sport claims that Liverpool have been talking to the £50 milion-rated, former PSG youngster for quite some time. What’s more, Soumare appears to have his heart set on a move to Anfield, if Le10 Sport is to be believed.
Lille are expected to make the France U21 international the second biggest sale in their history, behind Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe, meaning Les Dogues could have plenty of funds burning a hole in their back pocket.
And with Ntcham lined up, Celtic might soon receive an offer they cannot refuse.
The £4 million Scottish Premiership champion certainly has the skillset to fill a Soumare-shaped void at the heart of Lille’s engine room. Ntcham is a deep-lying playmaker who, at his best, is more than capable of controlling the tempo of the game while bursting into the box to wreak havoc in the final third.
Ntcham started 12 out of 13 Scottish Premiership games before missing the last few with an injury with the ex-Manchester City youngster benefitting immensely from Neil Lennon’s switch to a new-look 3-5-2 formation complete with ‘twin eights’.
If Lennon is to persist with this tactic, he will be desperate to hang onto one of his most naturally gifted players.
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