Celtic will today complete the singing of Royal Antwerp full-back Aurelio Buta, according to Belgian outlet Walfoot.
The report claims that a fee of €3.5m [£3m] has been agreed for the right-back.
Celtic have been linked with a move for Buta throughout July. And with right-back having been a problem position for the club this summer, the move would tick another key box for manager Ange Postecoglou.
Buta would also arrive at Celtic Park match-fit having been involved in pre-season with his current club. He played for 90 minutes in Sunday’s Jupiler Pro League opener against Mechelen.
The Portugal under-20 international has made 108 appearances for Antwerp since signing from Benfica, initially on loan, back in 2017 [Transfermarkt].
Celtic will be making a key addition in securing Aurelio Buta
Buta, if signed, will come to Scotland with plenty of experience. He’s already tasted European football, and has developed over the last several years with Antwerp.
In the bigger picture for Celtic, this is a key signing. It solves perhaps the biggest concern we had heading into the transfer window.
Buta, of course, wouldn’t be available to play tomorrow night against Midtjylland. Not only is he not registered in Celtic’s European squad, but he won’t even have met his teammates by then.
Should Celtic get him in quickly, however, it could be the case that he’s fit and available for Tynecastle on Sunday. There’s no reason to believe the right-back wouldn’t be ready to be immediately thrown into action.
Of course, fans will be awaiting official confirmation of his signature before getting too excited.
But it looks as though Celtic are about to solve a key issue today. That alone should give us reason for further optimism.
In other news: Report: Celtic set for £20m Odsonne Edouard offer after Midtjylland tie
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