Celtic target Vinicius Souza has decided to join La Liga side Espanyol on loan for next season.
Record Sport revealed the Premiership champions are unwilling to wait indefinitely for the Lommel star as he bides his time over his next move. Souza has been tracked by a clutch of clubs this summer with PSV, Real Betis, Schalke and Ajax among the clubs credited with an interest in the Brazilian enforcer. Now Celtic will not land the signature of the Lommel man - who is owned by the City Group - after he opted for a temporary switch to Spain over a permanent switch.
Espanyol have now confirmed the deal has been rubber stamped, meaning Celtic are still searching for a midfield enforcer for next season with Ange Postecoglou appearing keen on adding an anchor in the centre of the park, and Mohammad Abu Fani could fill that void. The player’s agent Dudu Dahan sent a timely reminder of his clients skillset as he ramped up the promotion if the Israeli international on his social media.
Dahan has done plenty of business with the club previously, brokering Nir Bitton and Hatem Abd Elhamed’s transfers to Glasgow as well as Liel Abada’ switch last summer. The highlights of Abu Fani’s best moments for Maccabi Haifa show why Celtic would be interested - but also why the club are keen on keeping the midfielder for the Champions League qualifiers.
Reports in Israel suggest the club are open to a sale but only after their second round double-header against Olympiacos, with the second leg taking place on July 27. It is also noted that Union Berlin have been leading the race for a deal.
However, missing out on Souza could see a rethink at Parkhead. The club could look to tap in to their connection to Dahan with the player potentially climbing Postecoglou's transfer wishlist.
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