Celtic are apparently pushing their interest in right-back Omar Elabdellaoui of Olympiakos.
According to senior presenter Jim White, a transfer meeting took place at Parkhead today. This was involving two potential signing targets that Brendan Rodgers is after this month. One of those is Elabdellaoui whilst the other was James McCarthy on loan.
Whilst the necessity of the latter can be questioned, the former certainly can’t. Celtic have been linked with Elabdellaoui for the past week, but speculation slowed when Olympiakos stated they wanted £8million for him.
And White today stated on his mid-morning radio show on TalkSPORT that Celtic are making their moves for both.
“My understanding is there’s a recruitment meeting today to discuss two signings Brendan Rodgers would like to make.
“One is the Olympiacos full-back Omar Elabdellaoui. He plays international football for Norway. Also on the agenda is James McCarthy, a possible loan target from Everton.
MORE CELTIC STORIES
“We’ll see how those develop.”
At least it’s progress from the club
White’s sources on Scottish football tend to be reliable. It’s difficult to take this for anything other than at face value.
The big positive here is that the club aren’t just twiddling their thumbs. Rodgers clearly wants Elabdallaoui, and the meeting today will likely see him stress that.
The big question mark over this deal is affordability, or perhaps more of a willingness to spend it. If Celtic wanted the Olympiakos man, he could be in the door for the weekend. But the Hoops have always been very strategic with their cash (if you’re being generous to them).
Celtic are now closing in on the final two weeks of the window. There simply has to be some progress from the club over the right-back situation, and today’s meeting is a sign of that.
What’s interesting, however, is that White never claimed that any other targets are being discussed. That could therefore mean that the club are satisfied now with their options both up top and at the centre of defence.
For supporters, this could be an exciting next two weeks.