Report: 2020 Celtic target Alberth Elis ready to leave Boavista; will cost £8.6m

By David Walton

June 13, 2021

2020 Celtic target Alberth Elis wants to leave Boavista this summer after only one season, Portuguese outlet A Bola reports.

Elis has had a superb debut campaign in Portugal. After signing from Houston Dynamo, Elis would go on to slam home eight goals and seven assists in 32 outings for Boavista [Transfermarkt]. All the more impressive considering they finished a lowly 13th.

A Bola claims that his individual form means he’s now worth as much as €10m [£8.5m]. The newspaper also states that as many as four English clubs are interested in him. West Ham and Southampton are said to have joined Brighton and Watford in monitoring the situation.

The report says West Ham and Southampton have both entered talks with Boavista regarding a potential deal.

Celtic were first linked with the player in January 2020. The Daily Record reported that we had seen an offer of £3m rejected, with Elis claiming that he “always” asks former Celt Emilio Izaguirre to recommend him to Parkhead.

Celtic won’t splash out big money for Alberth Elis despite Boavista form

Elis already looks ready for his next step. However, days of him talking up the Hoops appear to be over. Given he’s gone to Portugal and made himself a success, it looks as though he’s bypassed a potential move to Celtic.

He may see himself as having proven himself at a certain level in Europe. Now, with Premier League offers said to be on the table, that will surely attract him more. Especially with how quickly he appears to want to depart Boavista.

Not that Celtic will definitely still be interested this summer in any case. So long as Elis costs as much as £8.6m, it’s a bit of an ask for the Hoops to delve into the coffers for him. Yes, he would add something to our squad. Yes, he would provide a cutting edge and versatility to our front-line.

Alberth Elis Boavista (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

But can we honestly justify spending that much on a player this summer? When you consider the numbers of players we actually have to sign in order to complete this rebuild? It’s important that Celtic shop wisely this summer, not expensively.

We were caught out by that last year. Players arrived in Glasgow to the tune of deals worth £4m and £5m. It didn’t guarantee success. So there’s no reason to get too hung up on spending big on potential signings.

Elis may be ready for his next step. However, it won’t be a leap to Celtic Park. That ship appears to have firmly sailed.

In other news, an SPFL boss has addressed potential offers for this reported Celtic target.