Celtic are poised to confirm the signing of veteran keeper Kasper Schmeichel in the next 24 hours.
The Denmark No1 is on his way to meet his new teammates in the USA today after passing his medical in Italy yesterday. Schmeichel, 37, will be reunited with Brendan Rodgers after the pair forged a close relationship at Leicester City. Schmeichel will mentor new back-up keeper Viljami Sinisalo, who sealed a £1million move from Aston Villa on Tuesday, and will fill the void vacated by the retired Joe Hart.
It’s understood the son of Manchester United legend Peter will put pen to paper on a one-year deal with the option of a further 12 months. The 105-times capped star – who played all four games at the Euros – is a free agent after spending a year with Belgian giants Anderlec
ht.
Hoops boss Rodgers hopes his new first-choice keeper will soon be joined by midfielder Paulo Bernardo. Celts are said to have agreed an initial £3.5million fee with Benfica, with negotiations ongoing over future add-ons and personal terms. The former Portugal Under-21 international broke cover on Instagram last night by sharing a snap of himself in pre-season training with the Lisbon club.
Meanwhile Norwich City boss Johannes Hoff Thorup is adamant that Adam Idah will be an “important player” for him this year after watching the striker close up for the first time. Idah, 23, was thrown in from the start in yesterday’s 3-0 friendly defeat to Club Brugge but lasted just 33 minutes in a planned early change as he built up his match fitness.
Celtic are keen to bring the Old Firm Scottish Cup-winning goal hero back to Parkhead after the Irishman starred on loan last season. However, the Canaries are playing hardball and have already thrown out an opening £4m bid for their homegrown talent. And Thorup has made it clear to the Scottish champions that he sees Idah as a big part of his plans after being asked directly about his future.
Meanwhile Scotland defender Scott McKenna remains a free agent after his contract at Nottingham Forest expired. The ex-Aberdeen stopper has been linked with both Celtic and Rangers and admitted last month that he’d be open to returning to the Premiership. McKenna spent last season on loan with Copenhagen and the Danish club have hinted that they could attempt to lure him back this summer.
Finally, Oh Hyeon-gyu has issued a classy farewell message to Celtic fans after rubber-stamping his move to Genk at the weekend. The South Korean striker moved on after just a year-and-a-half in Glasgow but made it clear he has no hard feelings.
Be the first to comment