Celtic are in Italy for Europa League duty on Thursday night, where they will take on Bologna.
There is going to be a familiar name on the Bologna teamsheet because Lewis Ferguson is going to come up against Celtic after leaving Scotland in 2022.
Ferguson represented Aberdeen and Hamilton during his career, but never played for Rangers, where his dad, Derek, and his uncle, Barry, made a name for themselves.
If Ferguson starts, he could come up against Arne Engels, so could Celtic possibly sell their club-record transfer and bring in the Scotland midfielder?
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Can Celtic afford to sell Arne Engels?
Peter Grant would sign Lewis Ferguson from Bologna in a ‘heartbeat’
One man who didn’t hesitate to answer about wanting to bring Ferguson to Parkhead is Peter Grant, who stated that he would do it in a ‘heartbeat.’
Speaking on Go Radio, Grant touched upon how Ferguson, who is the Bologna captain, isn’t earning the game time he wants under the new boss, Vincenzo Italiano.
Paul Cooney: “It’s the level of spending, the fans are disappointed. They aren’t expecting it to be £15 million. Arne Engels was £11 million.
“I see that RB Leipzig are reported to be interested in him. We were chatting before the programme about the Bologna game. The fact that young Ferguson. Lewis Ferguson isn’t getting that much game time. Could he be a target for Celtic?”
Grant: “Listen, he should have been a target when he was at Aberdeen. I watched it closely, and I see that he isn’t getting on as much with this manager because he is the captain, and doesn’t play often. I know he had the injury when the manager came in.
“But he has come back, and I would take Lewis in a heartbeat. Anywhere. Whether it’s Celtic or Rangers. I would take him. Whether he would want to come back to Scotland. I am sure he would have a lot of suitors in Italy. There is no doubt.
“He would be another kid who wants to play. He has the World Cup coming up. We know what he can do. But you want to be playing. I would definitely ask the question. There is absolutely no doubt because he brings you something else.”
How much would Celtic sell Arne Engels for?
Celtic paid a lot of money for Engels. £11 million. So, nobody in that Parkhead boardroom would let him go cheaply if it were to happen.
Amid RB Leipzig’s interest in Engels, and remember, he joined the champions of Scotland from Augsburg in 2023, Grant defended the under-fire midfielder, and stated that he is ‘an Engels fan.’
But if the Belgian midfielder were to head for the exit door, then Grant stated that it would need to be for around ‘£12 million.’
“I have said to you before, I am an Arne Engels fan, and I know that he hasn’t played as well this season, and I understand that,” stated Grant.
“But I think there have been a lot of reasons for that. We are talking about Auchinleck at the weekend. There are too many bodies in one area of the pitch. His strength is running through the middle as a midfield player. That’s when he is at his best. If he isn’t allowed to do that, with the amount of bodies in there. That’s what he is playing every week, and it’s very difficult.
“I am summarising. If they are talking about £11 or 12 million. Celtic may do it, and Engels is somewhere else.
“The one thing is that if they are going to do that, then they better have somebody come straight back in.”
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