Lawrence Shankland insists Celtic target Vinicius Souza can fill the midfield security guard void left by the departure of Nir Bitton.
The Scot faced the Brazilian twice last season in the Belgian top flight and has nothing but rave reviews for a player who he believes is an identikit of the Israeli who left Parkhead for pastures new this summer. The champions are trying to lure the 23-year-old to Glasgow and Beerschot striker Shankland is adamant a fee of around the £4million mark would be a bargain for a talent who shone like a diamond for Mechelen last season.
He said: “I remember playing against Souza. He’s hard to miss as he’s a tall, athletic guy who makes an instant impression on you as he’s a bit of a machine. “We played Mechelen twice and both times we struggled. They’re a good side and Souza is a big part of how they play as he sits in front of the defence and dominates in that area.
