Aaron Mooy would cost Celtic around £4million to sign from Shanghai Port this summer, according to 90Min.
Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou is said to be keen on a move for the Australian midfielder, who’s spent the last year in China [Eurosport].
90Min say that the Parkhead hierarchy is keen on the club moving for James McCarthy. However, Postecoglou wants to go for Mooy, and it’s reported that the player himself is up for a return to British football too.
Mooy has played 22 times for Shanghai since his move last summer [Transfermarkt]. The Athletic reported after his move that he was earning £60k-per-week in China.
It remains to be seen if Celtic go in with an offer. As of yet, there has been no update of a bid being launched.
Aaron Mooy may be keen on Celtic switch
If Mooy is keen on a return to Britain, there’s an obvious second question that comes with that. Is it a move to England he’s eyeing up? Or would he be open to a stint in Scotland under Postecoglou?
The new Celtic boss could be the deciding factor here. Mooy has spoken in the past about how much he loves working under Ange. He’s labelled him “intimidating”, with the pair working together during their days with Australia [The World Game].
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It all depends on whether he wants to experience something different. Celtic can offer Mooy medals and European experience, two things his career has been lacking. Then again, it could be the taste of the EPL that he’s after given his previous experiences with Brighton and Huddersfield Town respectively.
Celtic, meanwhile, would have to make a decision on whether we need to splash out £4m on another midfielder. Just because Scott Brown departed, it doesn’t necessarily mean he needs replaced.
Mooy could offer plenty in terms of his experience of course. The Celtic midfield is youthful but also inexperienced outside of Callum McGregor. Adding some leadership and grit could be something Postecoglou feels is required.
We’ll see what happens with this one in the coming weeks. There are certainly other priority positions that need dealt with first.