Maccabi Petah Tikvah forward Liel Abada arrived in Glasgow on Tuesday night and is set to sign a four-year deal with Celtic, as reported by Israeli publication One.
With less than a week to go before a crucial Champions League qualification clash with FC Midtjylland, it seems that the Hoops are finally – finally – closing in on a couple of much-needed additions to a first-team roster short of both quality and quantity.
Celtic are in talks with Rennes defender Brandon Soppy, are expected to seal a deal for Sweden international centre-back Carl Starfelt and also appear to be on the verge of unveiling the exciting Abada.
The versatile forward is just 19 but don’t let his age fool you. Abada, the once-capped Israel attacker, will go straight into Ange Postecoglou’s plans, having scored 13 goals in 38 games last season.
Will Liel Abada make an immediate impact at Celtic?
The Scottish Sun reported earlier in the week that Celtic were looking to seal a £3.5 million deal for the teenager, who would provide some much-needed competition for the excellent but injury-prone James Forrest down the right-hand side.
Negotiations have sped up since then, with One claiming that Abada arrived in Glasgow on Tuesday night to finalise his move to the Premiership giants alongside agent Dudu Dahan.
And if that name feels familiar to Celtic supporters, there’s a reason for that; Dahan was also responsible for bringing Ismaila Soro, Hatem Abd Elhamed, Efe Ambrose and Nir Bitton to Parkhead.
Abada has already secured the requisite work permit and is now expected to undergo a medical ahead of signing a four-year contract, with Celtic agreeing to pay his £3.5 million transfer fee across three separate instalments.
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