CELTIC have launched a £3.5million raid to sign Honduran international winger Luis Palma.
The 23-year-old Aris Thessaloniki flanker could be heading to the champions with just a week remaining before the transfer deadline, according to a report in the Scottish Daily Mail.
Palma is one of the hottest young properties in Europe at the moment and has been a sensation after scoring 16 goals for his Greek club.
ON A WING AND A SLAYER…Celtic target Luis Palma celebrates another goal.
There has been interest from elsewhere – notably Belgian outfit Anderlecht and Championship side Watford – but Brendan Rodgers is hoping to lure the six times-capped international to Parkhead with the clock ticking on the transfer front.
The English side apparently wanted to take the player on a season-long loan with an £850,000 down payment and the figure rising to £4.5million if Palma impressed. However, the Greek club were not keen and would prefer cash up front and an offer of £3.5million reportedly would get the deal done.
Rodgers is a fan of wide players and South Korean Yang Hyun-jun and Australian Marco Tilio have already been recruited this summer, but those deals were in the pipeline before the Irishman arrived in June.
They may be viewed as players for the future, but it’s obvious the Hoops need operators who can hit the ground running, especially with the Champions League kicking off in the midweek of September 19/20.
The treble winners have yet to replace Filipe Jota who headed for Saudia Arabia in a £25million move in June.
