‘WE WANT EMILIO,’ ADMIT COSTA RICAN GIANTS

COSTA RICAN club Deportiva Alajuelense have confirmed they are poised to offer Celtic defender Emilio Izaguirre a deal.

The Honduran international left-back, who has been seven years at the Hoops, is out of contract in the summer.

Izaguirre, 30, has become a bit-part player at Parkhead since the spectacular emergence of Kieran Tierney.

There is also interest in the popular player from teams in Spain and the MLS, but Costa Rica’s most famous club are the first to make a concrete move for the attacking back-four operator.

And their president, Fernando Ocompo, has admitted the Celtic star who has won 10 medals in his time in the east end of Glasgow is on their wanted list.

He said: “Emilio Izaguirre is a great player. We are going to wait until the end of the season before we negotiate a deal.

“We have a sports commission at the club who have a list of players we want for the new season and Emilio is on that.

“They will write a report and we will look at the funding it would require to bring him here.

“There is a lot of work to be done, but he would obviously be a big signing for us.”