Celtic have lost transfer race for the brilliant midfielder

Celtic are expected to strengthen in the middle of the park this season, especially in defensive midfield, after seeing Nir Bitton depart the club the end of the previous campaign. While the Israeli international star might not have been a regular starter, he was still an important member of the squad, who Ange Postecoglou brought off the bench often in order to solidify things and see out games.

Thus, that is a role that needs to be filled in. The likes of Yosuke Ideguchi, James McCarthy and Ismaila Soro can play in defensive midfield, but none of them have been convincing enough in a Celtic shirt till now.

One player that Celtic were being heavily linked with over the past several weeks is Brazilian midfielder, Vinicius Souza, but now, it appears that that move is off the table.

As reported by the Scottish Daily Express, Celtic have been dealt a blow as Souza is ready to join PSV Eindhoven. The Dutch giants, currently managed by Ruud van Nistelrooy, are on course to win the race for the Brazilian midfielder’s signature.

Celtic have lost the transfer race for the brilliant midfielder

Souza is currently with Belgian second division side Lommel SK but he had been incredibly impressive last season while away on loan at top flight club KV Mechelen.

Many believed that he could have been perfect in the middle of the park for Celtic but now, it looks like a move to Parkhead is not on the cards anymore.

Celtic should turn their eyes elsewhere in search of a defensive midfielder. The only positive to take from this is the fact that the transfer saga did not drag on for too long and the Hoops have a lot of time on their hands to bring in someone else. Now, it remains to be seen who they end up targeting to fill the void left behind by Bitton.