The summer transfer window is officially open, and while Celtic are still waiting to make their first move, the club’s recruitment strategy may already be starting to reveal itself.
Fresh reports have linked another Bosnia and Herzegovina international with a move to Parkhead. On its own, that would not be particularly noteworthy.
Alongside previous Celtic rumours, however, it begins to paint a bigger picture.
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Over recent weeks, Benjamin Tahirović has been heavily linked with a move to Celtic. The midfielder remains one of the most persistent names connected with the Scottish champions as they prepare for another busy summer.
Now, according to the Daily Record’s report, Celtic are also interested in Ivan Bašić after monitoring the Bosnia and Herzegovina international during his country’s World Cup campaign.
The numbers suggest Bašić is more than a simple defensive midfielder. He completed 86.1% of his passes for Astana last season, created 50 chances and registered 110 recoveries, indicating a player capable of contributing both in possession and out of it.
One transfer rumour can easily be dismissed. Two midfielders from the same national side being linked within a matter of weeks is harder to overlook.
Celtic could be revealing a clear transfer strategy
The links to Bašić and Tahirović suggest Celtic’s recruitment team may have identified Bosnia and Herzegovina as a market worth exploring. Both players are international midfielders, both are still developing, and both fit the type of profile the club has targeted successfully in previous years.
That does not mean either deal is close, nor does it guarantee that Celtic will sign one of them. What it does suggest is that the club’s scouting network has taken a close look at a specific group of players ahead of the new season.
With the transfer window now open, supporters will naturally focus on arrivals. Yet the more interesting development may be what these links reveal about Celtic’s wider recruitment plans.
Whether Bašić eventually joins Tahirović on Celtic’s shortlist remains to be seen. For now, the emergence of a second Bosnia international midfielder is enough to suggest there is more than coincidence behind the club’s growing interest in that market.
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