Harper is currently starring for Malaga in Spain, and Celtic need a striker.
Celtic’s need for a third striker alongside Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths is hotting up with the likes of Timothy Weah and Vakoun Issouf Bayo being linked – but a Scottish star impressing in Spain could do the trick.
The Scottish Sun claimed that Getafe have had a £1million bid rejected for 22-year-old striker Jack Harper, who is currently gaining attention with his performances for Malaga in La Liga 2.
Harper, formerly of Real Madrid and Brighton, has Scotland Under-19 caps after moving to Spain as a child. He has scored three goals in 14 appearances for Malaga, with his style of a target man helping his cause.
Celtic desperately need a new striker in the January window with Edouard stuttering since his £9million move from Paris Saint-Germain, while Griffiths is taking time out to deal with personal problems.
Meanwhile, the impressive Harper is out of contract at the end of the season, and given that he will be available for a bargain figure – though seemingly more than £1million after Getafe’s bid – he is likely to leave this month.
Celtic could do a lot worse than adding a player like Harper to their side, which would give Brendan Rodgers’ men a different option in the final third.
Harper’s physicality and aerial prowess allows him to beat central defenders in the air and bring others into play. Though not prolific in front of goal, it is his contribution to play that make shim effective.
Perhaps that is where Celtic have come unstuck this season. In some games, Celtic’s passing-style has been nullified, but Rodgers has been unable to try a plan B and chuck a target man on.
In Harper, they would have a Scottish target man on the cheap, who is starting to show why Real Madrid rated him at youth level. Landing the colossal striker would give Celtic another option in the final third – one that could help them win games ugly.
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