Celtic have made a blistering start to the summer transfer window, already signing several of their key targets and strengthening the squad further, after having won the Premiership and League Cup double last season. But there are still some areas where the Hoops are not the strongest and could do with some new arrivals.
One such position is defensive midfield. Scott Brown left the club last summer and Nir Bitton brought the curtain down on his Celtic career at the end of last season and has joined Maccabi Tel Aviv since then.
Ismaila Soro, James McCarthy and Yosuke Ideguchi can all play there, but have not been impressive in a Celtic jersey till now. Thus, it might be risky to go into the new campaign without signing a defensive midfielder, and it looks like Lommel SK’s Brazilian midfielder, Vinicius Souza, is a player on the Hoops’ radar.
While a lot of clubs around Europe are believed to be interested in Souza, it appears that Celtic remain in talks to sign him, but would move their eyes elsewhere if the transfer saga drags on for too much longer. As reported by the Daily Record, a source close to the negotiations confirmed:
"“The two parties are still talking but there does come a point in time when Celtic need an answer and that moment is fast approaching.“If Souza – or his agents – aren’t prepared to commit then the club will simply have to look elsewhere because it’s an area of the team that the manager wants to address as a matter of urgency. Souza absolutely fits the bill in terms of what’s required but he’s not the only option.”"
Celtic remain in talks for brilliant midfielder but are keeping their options open
It goes without saying that someone like Souza could be an excellent addition to this Celtic squad, having impressed immensely while on loan at Belgian top flight club KV Mechelen last season.
But at the same time, Celtic cannot afford to continue chasing his signature for too long, simply because of the fact that they need to fill in the defensive midfield position this summer.
It is not a luxury signing but one that they need to make. As a result, if the Souza saga drags on, it would be the right decision to look at other midfielders instead.