Celtic are now said to be eyeing a World Cup midfielder who is said to be available on a pretty affordable fee. The Bhoys are now ramping up their summer business after snapping up Camilo Duran on their first paid deal of the summer.
The £5.5million striker is now training in Celtic gear, and fans are already looking forward to seeing him in action. Elsewhere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been brought back on a one-year deal, and Kelechi Iheanacho is expected to return on a similar deal.
Attention now moves elsewhere, and Celtic know they are going to need to sign a couple of midfielders this summer, especially with Arne Engels expected to leave on a big-money deal.
Celtic eyeing Egypt World Cup star
According to Mark Hendry, Celtic have contacted the representatives of Egypt World Cup midfielder Emam Ashour. The Al Ahly midfielder played a part in an impressive Egypt side that reached the Round of 16, ultimately collapsing despite a two-goal lead against Argentina.
The 28-year-old is said to be valued at around £4million by the player's current club, which would be seen as an affordable fee for Celtic as they prepare to bring in at least £20million for Engels.
The Bhoys are more likely to replace Engels by committee this summer, rather than spending £15million, for instance, on one replacement.
Ashour is an attack-minded box-to-box midfielder who is comfortable with the ball at his feet. He scored 13 goals in the Egyptian league last season, displaying his attacking capabilities.
At 28 years of age, Celtic would be buying a player in his prime, which they have not done an awful lot of over recent seasons, but £4million wouldn't be seen as a particularly risky fee.
The one risk is that Ashour did spend time at Denmark earlyer in his career only to return to Egypt after struggling with homesickness. Now at an older age, that may not be an issue, but it is always going to be a concern for a buyig club that is a long way from Egypt, as Celtic are.
Ashour is likely to be one of a number of targets Celtic are considering, and it doesn't seem as though they will rush into a midfielder deal, at least not while Engels is still at the club. After all, the amount Engels leaves for could define how much the Bhoys have to spend on their squad this summer, and that includes his replacement.
Add us as a preferred source on Google