Former Nottingham Forest loanee Alfa Semedo has reportedly agreed a shock transfer to join Celtic on loan with a mandatory clause to make the move permanent next summer.
The 24-year-old spent the 2019-20 season on loan at the City Ground and made 26 appearances across all competitions under manager Sabri Lamouchi. Semedo signed temporarily at the same time as Benfica teammate Yuri Ribeiro, who now plays for Legia Warsaw after being released by the Reds last summer.
The defensive midfielder also spent the following season in the Championship after swapping the Portuguese capital for Reading, making 40 appearances, but again did not stay after struggling in Berkshire. That summer finally saw Semedo leave Benfica for good after a permanent transfer to Vitória Guimaraes was agreed and now he heads for Celtic and Champions League football not long after struggling in the second tier of English football.
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Alongside fellow summer signing and former Forest teammate Tiago Silva, the Guniea-Bissau international made 31 appearances back in Portugal which appears to have caught the eye of Celtic. Semedo also featured at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year for his country.
According to the Portuguese outlet Diario de Transferencias and our colleagues at Football Scotland, an initial loan to return to the United Kingdom is agreed. The deal also includes a £2.5 million obligation to make the move permanent next summer, with another £1m to follow in add-ons when a three-year contract will kick in.
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