Celtic very close to first signing of the transfer window

Celtic are very close to completing their first signing of the transfer window as they get ready to challenge for a historic tenth straight Scottish league title next season.

Before the 9IAR celebrations can even come to an end, Celtic have clearly already started to prepare to challenge for a historical 10IAR next season. And understandably so as such opportunities rarely crop up in football. In fact it is admirable that the board are not taking a day off despite the uncertain times we are currently living in.

Yesterday, it was announced that Eboue Kouassi would be making his loan move to Belgian side Genk permanent. He had joined the club in January and despite not making many appearances for them, he was able to convince the club to pay Celtic a reported £1.3 million for his services.

And while that is barely half of what Celtic had paid for the midfielder when they had signed him, he clearly had no future at Parkhead. And with transfer fees expected to fall in the post-pandemic market, that £1.3 million might go a long way in further strengthening Neil Lennon’s squad and fill some of the holes that still exist.

One of these holes is the left-back position. Despite signing both Bolo Bolingoli and Greg Taylor last summer, neither man has managed to nail down their place in the first-team. And often Lennon has been forced to deploy Jonny Hayes in the position. And as reported by 90min, it looks like Celtic are looking to sign Hearts’ wonderkid Aaron Hickey.

Hickey is no stranger to Celtic as he spent his youth career at the club. But he would move to Hearts in search of first-team football and the gamble has clearly paid off.

At just 17 years of age, Hickey has already established himself in the Hearts’ starting XI. And Celtic are interested in bringing him back to Parkhead.

Hearts already had their financial troubles and now they have been relegated from the Premiership. As a result, they probably cannot ignore a 7-figure offer from the Scottish champions. In fact, Celtic might be able to seal the deal for the same money that they received from Genk for Kouassi. But is Hickey worth going after?

The fact of the matter is that he might not immediately break into the Celtic first-team. But at 17 years of age, he has all the time in the world to develop into a solid player. And if we’ve learned anything from Jeremie Frimpong’s meteoric rise last season, it is that never say never!