New names continue to be linked with Celtic as the summer transfer window ramps up.
Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers has stated ‘change is needed’ in his first-team squad despite a successful Double-winning campaign.
The Bhoys want to sign a new striker to compete with Adam Idah, who understands he’ll face a tougher fight for game time next season.
Couple that with Daizen Maeda’s links with Fenerbahce and the need for a new frontman is imperative for the four-in-a-row champions.
But the latest transfer link concerns a midfielder, a position on the park where Celtic are well stocked at the moment.
Celtic ‘contact’ Rio Ave about Demir Tiknaz
Celtic are said to be interested in young Besiktas midfielder Demir Tiknaz, who spent last season on loan at Portuguese top-flight outfit Rio Ave.
A Bola are reporting that the Hoops have already ‘initiated contact’ with Rio Ave over the possibility of signing the player in the summer.
Tiknaz is a Besiktas player but Rio Ave have the option to purchase him permanently for €5m – but the deadline for that is next Tuesday so the Portuguese side need to act quick.
Rio Ave value Tiknaz at £8.4m so if they can buy him out of his Besiktas contract, they would be able to make a profit if he is then sold to Celtic.
However, the Hoops have competition with Lille also said to be tracking the player at the moment.
Tiknaz is 20 and is currently on duty with the Turkey national team as they gear up to play the USMNT on Saturday and Mexico on Tuesday.
Demir Tiknaz suffered Turkey earthquake trauma
Away from football, Tiknaz suffered trauma from the devastating earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria in February 2023.
Tiknaz was living in Istanbul at the time away from the epicentre of the disaster, but still remembers feeling scared and the difficulty it caused him and his fellow countrymen and woman.
Speaking to The Athletic in 2024, he said: “I was so afraid. We saw the videos on the internet. I still have this trauma when I remember it.
“It was really difficult for everybody and everybody tried to support them in the best way they could. I felt that life is so short and things can change in seconds. We still feel this trauma.
“On the pitch, you forget everything from your own life. During these 90 minutes, it’s kind of a therapy. When you touch the ball you forget everything, but after, you remember.
“Without football, life would really be way more difficult for us.”
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