It looks like Celtic are closing in on their sixth signing of the ongoing summer transfer window. Till now, the club have made five additions to their squad, bringing in Odin Thiago Holm, Marco Tilio, Yang Hyun-jun, Kwon Hyeok-kyu and Maik Nawrocki. And following the departure of Carl Starfelt to Celta Vigo, the Hoops are now set to bring in another centre-back.
There were links with Xavier Mbuyamba of FC Volendam, but it looks like it is Gustaf Lagerbielke of IF Elfsborg who is heading to Glasgow. The 23-year-old Swedish centre-back appears to be on the verge of making a Celtic switch.
As tweeted by Anel Avdic, IF Elfsborg and Celtic have reached an agreement regarding the transfer of Lagerbielke. The Hoops will pay a 40 million kr (around £3 million) fee, which is a new transfer record for the Swedish club. The centre-back will travel to Glasgow next week for medicals. Starfelt’s agent helped the Scottish champions find and secure the replacement.
Thus, it looks like the deal for Lagerbielke is as good as done. We can expect to see him in a Celtic jersey very soon.
Celtic target set for Glasgow trip to undergo medical
Of course, many Celtic fans would have been hoping for a more established and experienced centre-back to replace Starfelt. But the club have gone for another youngster with a lot of potential.
At the end of the day, that is Celtic’s transfer strategy. One can expect Nawrocki and Lagerbielke to compete for the starting spot, while Cameron Carter-Vickers is a nailed-on starter.
Both Nawrocki and Lagerbielke have a ton of potential. The former is a Polish youth international and was superb for Legia Warsaw, a club from where Celtic have brought in excellent players in the past. On the other hand, the latter is a full Swedish international and played his part in IF Elfsborg sitting atop the Swedish league table.