Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers seems to have earmarked central midfield as a priority position to strengthen with the transfer deadline approaching.
With two-and-a-half weeks of the window remaining, give or take, several individuals who operate in the engine room have been linked to the reigning Scottish Premiership champions.
Celtic are expected to submit an offer for Luke McCowan after Dundee rejected a £750,000 bid for Hibernian’s captain. The 26-year-old has a year left on his deal at Dens Park and could be one to keep an eye on amid his potential availability for £1 million.
Augsburg could cash in on talented midfielder Arne Engels and the Bhoys are believed to be waiting in the wings for the versatile 20-year-old, who can operate in the middle of the park, in a more advanced role or as a right-back.
Brendan Rodgers has identified him as one of their top targets this summer but also has an eye on Liverpool star Wataru Endo, with the Reds open to offloading the Japan international.
Former Celtic midfielder Peter Grant has now delivered his verdict on a potential move for the enforcer as his old side prepare to juggle domestic and European endeavours.
Peter Grant on Wataru Endo to Celtic links
Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show, Grant believes a move for Endo could allow Callum McGregor to step into a more advanced midfield role if Matt O’Riley leaves before the window amid interest from Atalanta.
In what would be an intriguing engine room reshuffle, he explained: “I really liked him when he was in Germany. I thought it was a really good signing for Liverpool, and he did really well for Liverpool last year under Klopp.
“Klopp obviously knows the German game very well. He brought him in and thought he would do a job for Liverpool, and he proved that. I think the Liverpool fans were really impressed with him last year.
“It’ll be interesting to see; I think it would be more of a loan than anything else. What it would do is, say if Matt went for talking’s sake, Callum could play that position. Endo could come in and play that sitting one. So I can understand the reasoning behind it. He’s a very, very good player.”
Celtic may find Wataru Endo deal difficult to complete
Admittedly, Endo would be a difficult player to land permanently. Reports suggest he would cost £15 million to deal in, a price Celtic are unlikely to pay for someone who would fall outside the bracket of having significant sell-on value.
Could a loan deal be on the cards? It is hard to say, but it may be the most viable way to land the Samurai Blue captain if the club decide to firm up their initial admiration.
As supporters, we all want established players to arrive and compete for starting places at Celtic Park. Endo would certainly be an exciting signing, though it feels like there is only a slim chance of that unfolding before the end of the window.
Either way, fans won’t need to wait too long to find out. The market closes for business at the end of the month, so let’s see if the Bhoys have any surprises up their sleeve.
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