£2m SORO DEAL ‘CLOSED IN PRINCIPLE’ 

IVORIAN midfielder Ismaila Soro is on the brink of a £2million move to Celtic.

The powerhouse anchorman looks as though he has played his last game for his club, Bnei Yehuda, in a 2-1 home defeat to Hapoel Tel Aviv yesterday.

Fans made it clear to owner Barak Obramov that they do not want the team’s star man to be sold in this transfer window.

However, Elisha Levy, the former Israel international manager, who was only appointed as club boss last week has revealed he is resigned to Soro’s switch to the eight-in-a-row champions.

In a report in the Daily Record, he said: “Ismailia Soro’s transfer deal to Celtic has been closed in principle and he is expected to leave in the near future.

“When I took this job I knew he was going, so this isn’t a surprise to me.

“It just means we will have to look for reinforcements in his position.

“Of course, it will be difficult because Soro is an excellent player.

“He was very committed against Hapoel and professional. He was clearly be a big loss to the team. And it will be up to me to find a good replacement for him.”

Soro has played 22 times this season in all competitions for his club and has won 53.5 percent of his duels. Stats show he has also won 54.5 percent of aerial battles. But it’s his passing success rate – at 85.8 percent – which is arguably his best attribute.

The middle-of-the-park enforcer, who has previously played for clubs in Moldova and Belarus, still has 18 months left of his contract, but is on the verge of joining £3.5million Polish striker Patryk Klimala as Neil Lennon’s second January signing.