Celtic have long been linked with young defender Xavier Mbuyamba over the course of the summer. 67 Hail Hail first discussed Celtic’s apparent interest in the Volendam defender back in May when Sky Sports first broke the news.
Although he didn’t discuss Celtic directly, the former Chelsea and Barcelona prospect then spoke about his future and said that he will remain in Holland for two years pending discussions with his agent.
But then, the speculation ramped up last week when it emerged that Mbuyamba was ‘high on Celtic’s transfer list‘ and it seemed that the possibility of the youngster coming to Celtic was becoming a reality.
It seems, now, that that transfer link is now dead after Fabrizio Romano’s transfer update on the Dutch defender on Twitter.
Romano tweeted, “Understand Sampdoria are prepared to submit a bid to Volendam for Dutch centre-back Xavier Mbuyamba worth €1.5m
“Personal terms already agreed, player keen on the move.”
Whilst that news is disappointing, that is not the only reason why Celtic’s interest in Mbuyamba looks to be over. Celtic have clearly opted to go down another route after sealing a deal to bring Legia Warsaw defender, Maik Nawrocki to the club.
The 22-year-old is expected to be announced as Brendan Rodgers’ next summer signing any day now as the Celtic manager looks to add strength in depth to his backline for the coming campaign.
Nawrocki also has experience in winning silverware. He helped Legia Warsaw win the Polish Cup last season and recently won the Polish Super Cup after a 6-5 penalty win over over Rakow Czestochowa.
Nawrocki is very highly rated and is expected to cost Celtic anything up to £4m. The fact that Rodgers has decided to lay out a hefty transfer fee instead of what looks like a bargain fee for Mbuyamba shows that the Celtic manager prioritised him ahead of the Dutchman.
In other news, Pat Bonner says he’s urged Dermot Desmond to make ambitious Celtic move in Ireland
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
