Celtic are closing in on the signing of Real Oviedo winger Haissem Hassan, who will join on a £9million deal inclusive of add-ons. The Bhoys will pay £6million upfront and agree to a further £3million in add-ons, of which a chunk will be activated if the club qualifies for the Champions League by leating LASK over two legs this month.
It's another statement deal from Celtic after they spent £11million on Kasper Hogh, but they still have much more business to do, having only signed three players including Hassan.
The winger is expected to have his medical and complete his move in the next couple of days, and with Jota coming back within around 6-8 weeks, that should take care of the wide areas.
Celtic's next transfer priority is obvious
Celtic must now turn to their other needs, and they simply must start with the midfield. Yes, the Hoops need a new starting goalkeeper, but Viljami Sinisalo is doing a job for now, and they will get by.
At left-back, Adam Montgomery is the only cover for Kieran Tierney, and there could be a problem there if the latter gets injured, so it's another area that must be addressed. But it's another area where the Hoops can get by, even if they have to put a centre-back out there.
But they cannot afford to get short in midfield. Anyone who has watched this Celtic team, even if they have only watched the first two games of this season, can see that Arne Engels is a vital part of this midfield. Celtic are not going to find the perfect replacement, not without spending every penny they receive - and that is not happening.
But they must find a good enough replacement, and they need to get a move on. It now looks unlikely the Hoops will sell before the qualifiers, which would be a massive boost, but if West Ham or another club swoop up Engels after that, Celtic need a replacement ready to go, and they ideally need to start bedding him in as soon as possible.
Is it Mika Baur? Is it Gvidas Gineitis? Is it someone else? Whoever Celtic decide on, and it's likely to be at least two players when all is said and done, they need to look to get deals over the line before they are caught painfully short in the midfield. Engels is currently masking how big of an issue the Bhoys could be left with, and it's a gap that needs to be bridged before that existing bridge disappears.
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