Celtic linked with midfielder hailed as ‘New Toni Kroos’

Celtic are being linked with a £2.8 million-rated midfielder who was once considered to be the heir of Toni Kroos at Bayern Munich.

Coming through the Bayern Munich academy, Niklas Dorsch was labelled as the ‘New Toni Kroos’. Certainly things did not pan out as well as one would have expected considering the hype surrounding the midfielder during those early years. Dorsch currently plays at Bundesliga 2 side1. FC Heidenheim and has been instrumental in transforming them into genuine promotion contenders this season. And Celtic reportedly want him at Parkhead.

Dorsch has represented the Germany national team at multiple youth levels and was the captain of the Bayern Munich second team during his time there. Funnily enough he scored on his debut for the Bavarian giants as well but that ended up being the only appearance he ever made for them.

An excellent passer of the ball with an understanding of the game beyond his 21 years of game, it is easy to see why Celtic are being linked with Dorsch. Callum McGregor and Scott Brown could do with some competition in midfield at the moment. And according to The Telegraph, he has a £2.8 million release clause in his contract.

As reported by Kicker, talking about a potential move, Heidenheim CEO Holger Sanwald said:

"“Niklas still has a contract with us for one and a half years.“The fact is that he’s a special player with a lot of potential.”"

But it looks like Celtic might have to wait till the summer if they want to sign the 21-year-old. Recently talking with the Bild about a move away from Heidenheim, Dorsch said that he was not interested in leaving in the middle of the season. And he cannot be blamed with the club in the midst of a promotion battle. The wait could be worth it though for a man once described as the ‘New Toni Kroos’.