Celtic are said to be tracking a new winger as they look to ramp up their summer business. It has been a quiet summer for the Bhoys so far, who did snap up Camilo Duran, but they have largely struggled to get business done.
Martin O'Neill is well aware that lots of business needs to be done this summer, especially with expected exits, but we are yet to see much progress.
Celtic now working on a winger deal
According to TeamTalk, Celtic are fully expecting to close some deals in the near future, and it's claimed Utrecht winger Adian Blake is one of the players being pursued.
It's claimed the Bhoys have reached out to the Dutch side to check on the conditions of a deal, and they have reportedly been told £2.5million will get the deal done due to Blake having just one year remaining on his contract.
That would be a very affordable deal for Celtic, who have plenty of money to spend this summer, especially with the likely exits. The Blake pursuit comes alongside Celtic's pursuit of Real Oviedo winger Haissem Hassan, and it's possible the Hoops could move to sign both players due to the needs they have in attack.
Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate are likely to leave this summer, so there will be a significant loss of creativity and attacking flair.
As for Blake, he is a former England under-19s international. He is now 21 years of age, and he joined Utrecht after leaving Watford at the under-18s level. He has since made 45 Eredivisie appearances, scoring six and providing five assists.
He has also featured in the Europa League, scoring once in seven appearances in that competition. European experience will be seen as an asset by Celtic as they prepare for their Champions League qualifiers next month.
Blake usually plays on the left wing, but he is also able to play on the right, which is also a trait that will play into his favour. Celtic do have a fair few options on the left side of attack, but they are sorely lacking in options on the right, with only James Forrest and Hyun-Jun Yang to call upon as out-and-out wingers, albeit other players can, of course help out on that side.
O'Neill is likely to want to add a couple of wingers this summer, especially with Maeda on his way out, and Blake could be a wise signing for that kind of money.
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