Brendan Rodgers wants Celtic transfer target to stay at Leicester City

There are very few things that the Celtic board love more than a good free transfer. And it does not get much better than managing to get a Leicester City wonderkid, who is also wanted by FC Barcelona, on a free transfer.

That is exactly what the Hoops might be aiming to do when it comes to 19-year-old Portuguese midfielder, Sidnei Tavares, who made his debut for Leicester City against Slavia Prague in the Europa League not too long ago.

His contract with The Foxes will come to an end at the end of this season though, meaning that he will be available on a free transfer in the summer. Celtic were linked with the youngster by The Scottish Sun a couple of months ago, although they will have a tough battle for Tavares’ signature, as FC Barcelona seem to be his most likely destination if he does end up leaving the Premier League side.

Brendan Rodgers is not too keen on letting that happen though and has urged the teenager to remain at the club. As reported by The Leicester Mercury, he said:

"“Any player from a football perspective will see this as a great environment to have that opportunity to play.“It (contract talks) is something that’s outside of myself. There are discussions going on between Jon (Rudkin, director of football) and his representatives and family.“From a football perspective, he enjoys being here, you can see how much I think of him and having him around the squad at this time and sticking him into an important game.“That’s all you can do. If there are other things they’re looking for, whether it’s finance or something else, that’s always up for negotiation. But from a football perspective, he’s in a really good place here.”"

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Signing Tavares would be a massive coup on the part of Celtic but it will be very tough to pull off

Clearly, Tavares is a very talented player, which is the reason why a club like FC Barcelona want him. And it is unlikely that they will be the only club after his signature if he does decide to leave Leicester City at the end of this campaign. Thus, The Hoops have a massive task on their hands if they are to convince him to come to Parkhead.

There is one thing that they can offer him that most other top European clubs is regular first-team football. Next summer is set to see a massive overhaul at the club with a number of players expected to leave and Tavares could be one of the faces of a new look Celtic side.

Of course, it is too early to judge him as a senior level player. At the end of the day, he just has 10 minutes of first-team under his belt till now. But the potential is clearly there and if he becomes available, the club should not think twice before making a move.