Celtic’s interest in Issa Doumbia has been blown out of the water by Sporting Club de Portugal.
Parkhead scouts were present to watch the midfielder earlier this season, and he was reportedly a January target for Wilfried Nancy.
For obvious reasons, this didn’t materialise, and the Italy U21 international has now reportedly put pen to paper on a big-money move to Portugal.
At the time of the Hoops’ initial interest, Doumbia was reportedly valued at €6 million… this price has now skyrocketed.
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Sporting CP agree €20 million-plus deal to sign Venezia’s Issa Doumbia
According to world-renowned transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Sporting have verbally agreed a deal worth a minimum of €20 million for Doumbia.
If all add-ons are achieved, the deal could rise to €26 million.
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Standing at 1.87m (6’2″), Doumbia has been compared to Paul Pogba due to his immense physical strength and running power.
He played a vital role in Venezia FC’s promotion campaign, registering eight goals and six assists in 37 appearances as they secured their return to the top-flight.
Sporting are spending heavily this summer; they have already smashed their transfer record to sign Braga’s Rodrigo Zalazar for €30 million.
It must be nice to reinvest your income! Of course, this money hasn’t come from nowhere; Sporting have sold Viktor Gyokeres, Conrad Harder, Dario Essugo and Geovany Quenda for a combined fee of £143 million in the last year.
Sporting finished second in the Liga Portugal this season, missing out to Francesco Farioli’s Porto by six points.
Historically Portugal’s third-biggest club, they have enjoyed a resurgence since the spell of Ruben Amorim, winning three of the last six league titles.
What state is Celtic’s midfield in? Who needs to stay and who needs to go?
Celtic being linked with players despite a permanent manager
Despite uncertainty over the permanent future of Martin O’Neill, Celtic have been credited with an interest in plenty of players.
Many of them, such as Elijah Just, Luke Graham and Marc Leonard, are right on their doorstep.
Others, such as Oskar Wojcik, Alfie Devine and Filip Rozga, appear to have been scouted over a significant period of time.
A goalkeeper appears to be a priority, with Mat Ryan, Calum Ward and Nikolas Polster all reported targets.
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