Former Real Madrid youth star drops Celtic transfer hint

Celtic very often ends up being a stepping stone for players to catch the eye of the European giants and eventually move to clubs like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. But one former Los Blancos youth star has hinted that he might be interested in taking the opposite route and join the Scottish champions.

When you think of the mighty Real Madrid, you think of the likes of Raul Gonzalez, Cristiano Ronaldo or Zinedine Zidane. Jack Harper is not a name that any Celtic fan is gonna immediately associate with the Spanish giants. But at the end of the day, there is nothing ordinary about the Scot born and raised in Spain and he spent 6 seasons at the Madrid club’s youth setup.

Most footballers dream of playing for Real Madrid and only small percentage of them ever make it. Harper, on the other hand, walked out on the club as a teenager before ever making the first team when he was told that they planned to loan him out. Instead he went on join Brighton and Hove Albion but a serious knee injury hindered his progress there and he ended up moving back to Spain to play for Malaga.

It is here that he tasted senior football for the first time, making 26 appearances and scoring 4 goals in the second division. His performances were good enough to earn him a move to La Liga with Getafe this season but then he was loaned straight back to the Segunda to AD Alcorcon.

For someone both of whose parents are Scottish, Harper has never played in the Premiership although he has represented the national team in multiple youth levels. But now he has dropped a hint that he might be open to a move to Scotland to play for either of the Glasgow giants, although he admitted that his parents were Rangers fans.

Speaking to Daily Record, Harper said:

"“Both Celtic and Rangers are mythical clubs – 60,000 fans go to the games.“My parents are Rangers fans, I am a little more neutral. I like to watch the derbies for the passion and intensity but I do not choose a side.“I follow the league and more now Rangers have again become a strong team.“They had problems, went down to the fourth tier and Celtic won eight leagues in a row. Now with Steven Gerrard, everything is going better.“The league is becoming more powerful. I don’t think about it now. I have 12 years left in my career and anything can happen.“In general the Scottish Premiership is beautiful, it has mythical teams.”"

Harper could be a shrewd addition to the Celtic team. While he never quite managed to make the grade at Madrid, there is no doubt that he is a very talented footballer considering he spent six seasons in one of the best youth teams on the planet. Keep an eye out for the Scot in the near future currently playing in the Spanish second division!