Celtic are ‘one step away’ from signing Canada defender Niko Sigur, according to reports in Croatia.
A dual international between Canada and Croatia, Sigur played in the Canadian college system before moving to Split aged 19.
He has since broken into the first team at the Croatian side, and reports are now saying that he is close to joining Celtic.
Sigur had been linked with Wolves this month, with the Hoops also in the race – the deal was also reportedly delayed by the sacking of Wilfried Nancy.
But according to Croatian transfer expert Izak Ante Sucic, Celtic have won the race.
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Celtic close to signing Niko Sigur
Sigur made his first team breakthrough as a teenager, earning interest from throughout Europe and causing a tug-of-war between his two countries of eligibility.
After playing youth football for Croatia, he was named in the back-up list for EURO 2024, before making a last-minute switch of his allegiance to Canada.
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He has since received 15 caps, scoring at last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Sigur is primarily right-back, but has also often been seen in midfield. Combine the two and you could have an effective ‘inverted’ option, like we have seen throughout recent years at Parkhead.
It’s understandable that Nancy was familiar with the player given his close proximity to the international sphere in North America.
He is, of course, an international teammate of Alistair Johnston, and will help deputise for the full-back who is currently out with a long-term injury.
No fee is mentioned in the report, but it won’t be cheap with two-and-a-half years left on Sigur’s contract and Split a fairly established European side.
Luka Vuskovic is their record sale after his £10 million move to Tottenham last year.
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Celtic target on Niko Sigur on switching international sides
After confirming his decision to switch to Canada, Sigur told the Croatian FA: “It was an honor for me to represent Croatia, which is a football superpower and my family’s homeland.
But over time, I felt that I wanted to represent the country where I grew up and started my football career, Canada.
“I appreciate the open communication and understanding of this decision by the Croatian Football Federation, and I thank the coaches and teammates in the national team for the pleasant time I spent as a young Croatian national team player.
“I will always be a big fan of Croatia, to whom I wish a lot of happiness and success.”
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