It seems Elfsborg will soon be added to the group of clubs who have made record sales to Celtic recently as the Bhoys continue to search for value in leagues around the world.
Melbourne City, Valerenga and Gangwon FC all broken outgoing transfer records doing business with the Bhoys this summer with Marco Tilio, Odin Thiago Holm and Hyunjun Yang joining.
Tilio’s arrival was in fact a record for an A-League export, demonstrating just how underused that division is in European football circles.
The Norwegian side meanwhile confirmed Holm’s departure was their “biggest sale ever” after the midfielder had been tracked by some of Europe’s largest clubs for years.
Even Maik Nawrocki’s departure from Legia was notable. Although not a record for the club or the division, he was one of the top three defender sales ever from the Polish top flight.
Earlier tonight, the news broke that the Bhoys had agreed a fee with Elfsborg for Gustaf Lagerbielke, a direct replacement for fellow Swedish defender Carl Starfelt, who has joined Celta Vigo in Spain. Expressen say that the fee is in the region of £2.9m, a record departure for the top-flight club.
Celtic are pursuing a pretty aggressive policy of seeking out some of the top young talents in their respective leagues, perhaps leagues that don’t quite attract the attention of clubs in the elite-money bracket.
The Scottish champions aren’t going out and splurging big cash on any one individual, that may still come, but the total spend is racking up to beyond £15m in total, before taking into account departures.
The Bhoys are showing the right kind of cash for the markets they are shopping in. And hopefully that continues with a few more positions needing bolstering before the window shuts.
In other news, Celtic injury news puts August transfer need into sharp focus.
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