Report: Celtic continue Mohammed Abu Fani scouting mission with final decision set to be made

By Lewis Laird

July 28, 2022

Celtic reportedly continued their scouting mission of Maccabi Haifa midfielder Mohammed Abu Fani on Wednesday evening as the Israeli side took on Olympiacos in UCL qualifying.

The 24-year-old has been linked with a move to Parkhead throughout the window, with Ange Postecoglou on the hunt for a new midfield enforcer.

It is expected that the Israeli internationalist will depart his current side this summer, with interest from not only Celtic but across Europe.

Celtic have kept a close eye on the midfielder over the last few months, sending scouts to watch Abu Fani in action for his international side.

Any word of his potential exit has gone quiet in recent weeks, with Maccabi Haifa insistent on keeping the youngster for their Champions League qualifying tie against Greek side Olympiacos.

That tie was concluded last night, with Maccabi advancing to the third round of UCL qualifying thanks to a 5-1 aggregate victory, in which Abu Fani rounded off the scoring.

In doing so, the Israeli side also helped Celtic to an extra Champions League windfall, with the Hoops receiving £950,000 in coefficient payments due to the exit of Olympiacos from the competition.

However, that wasn’t the Bhoys’ only interest in Wednesday’s game, according to a report from Israeli media outlet Sport 1, who have stated that a Parkhead scout was in attendance watching the midfielder in action.

The report also states that Celtic are preparing to make a final decision on whether to pursue Abu Fani after watching him in action on several occasions.

Whilst the talented midfielder was involved in second leg qualifier, he only came off the bench as a second-half substitute, which reportedly left Abu Fani angered and disappointed.

Despite also scoring in the game, being left out of the starting line-up was the reason behind his muted celebration for the fourth goal on the night.

It now seems almost certain that the 12-time capped international will be leaving Maccabi Haifa this summer, and after watching closely, the Hoops could look to make a move.

It will be interesting to see if anything advances within this deal in the next few weeks. If there is still no further indication of Celtic interest past that point, it would provide us with a hint suggesting that the Bhoys have moved on to other potential transfer targets.

In other news, “A big eye-opener” – Celtic summer signing opens up on previous Scottish Football experience.