Celtic have less than two months left to bring in any additions they want to make to the squad before the summer transfer window slams shut.
The Hoops are reportedly confident of securing a permanent deal to sign Irish forward Adam Idah from Norwich City on a permanent deal, following his loan spell at Parkhead last season.
Brendan Rodgers' side are also said to be in talks over a swoop to bring back Paulo Bernardo on a permanent transfer, after his loan stint from Benfica.
The Scottish Premiership champions are now reportedly looking at another potential signing to bolster their options in the middle of the park.
Celtic eyeing up young midfielder
According to Football Scotland, the Scottish giants are keen on a deal to sign central midfielder Jakub Kaluzinski from Turkish side Antalyaspor.
The report claims that the Hoops have been keeping tabs on the Polish starlet for a long time, predating back to his spell with Legia Gdańsk in Poland before his move to Turkey.
It states that a deal to sign the 21-year-old maestro would cost around £3.5m and that Spanish side Real Valladolid have already tabled an offer, which means that the Bhoys may have to move quickly if they want to sign him.
Therefore, it remains to be seen whether or not the Hoops can get a deal over the line for the young talent. However, if they can then they could secure a dream upgrade on Tomoki Iwata in midfield.
Why Celtic should sign Jakub Kaluzinski
The Japanese midfielder emerged as an option for Rodgers in the number six role during the second half of last season and provided a platform from which the likes of Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, Bernardo, and Matt O'Riley were able to build.
Kaluzinski, however, is six years younger than Iwata and his form during the 2023/24 campaign suggests that he would already offer more to the team.
The 21-year-old ace, who has been described as a 'big talent brewing' by Scouting Polska on X, is an athletic midfielder who can provide reliability in possession whilst also putting himself around on the field to win duels.
Appearances
31
19
Big chances created
5
1
Key passes per game
0.6
0.4
Pass accuracy
88%
90%
Duels won per game
3.1
1.9
Aerial duel success rate
52%
47%
As you can see in the table above, the Polish gem provided his team with more creativity, with more key passes and 'big chances' created, than Iwata at league level last term.
He also won more duels and came out on top in the majority of his aerial contests, which suggests that the £3.5m ace could add more steel to Celtic out of possession in the number six role.
Kaluzinski also averaged 4.9 ball recoveries per game in comparison to Iwata's 3.7 and this shows that he can sweep up play to win the ball back more frequently in midfield.
A ball recovery is defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
Overall, these statistics indicate that the Hoops transfer target could come in as an upgrade on the Japan international, whilst also having six extra years on him to continue to develop and improve, which is why the club should push to sign him.
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1 ByDan EmeryJul 9, 2024