An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to bolster the playing squad ahead of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign…
What's the latest Celtic transfer news?
According to 90min, the Hoops are one of the clubs eyeing up a swoop to sign Manchester United central midfielder Donny van de Beek during the summer transfer window, with Brendan Rodgers keen on a deal for the Red Devils outcast.
His club have decided to sanction an exit after the Netherlands international made seven league appearances, including two starts, throughout the 2022/23 season.
The report claims that Premier League sides Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, along with Inter, Milan, and Roma in Italy, are also in the race to land his signature.
It states that Erik ten Hag's team would like to cash in by selling him over the coming weeks but that a loan is a more likely option at this moment in time – three years on from his £35m switch to England from Dutch giants Ajax in 2020.
How much is Donny van de Beek earning at Manchester United?
The 26-year-old dynamo is reportedly earning £140k-per-week with the Champions League side and this could make a deal difficult to complete for Celtic as their top earner is Callum McGregor on £32k-per-week.
Unless they are willing to smash their wage structure to pieces, the Hoops would need United to subsidise a large chunk of his salary in what would be an ambitious swoop for the midfielder.
It is a move worth pursuing for Rodgers, though, as the Netherlands maestro, who was once hailed as "unselfish" by ex-England international Owen Hargreaves, has the potential to be an exceptional addition to the squad to partner Matt O'Riley in the middle of the park.
Van de Beek should not be judged on his rather difficult spell in England as he has only started 11 Premier League matches in three years, which means that the 19-cap gem has not been given enough of a chance to prove himself with an extended run in the side.
However, his form at Ajax suggests that there is an excellent talent for Rodgers to unearth.
He averaged a sublime Sofascore rating of 7.32 across 23 Eredivisie starts in his final campaign with the Dutch giants, which was the 2019/20 season.
During that time, the Dutch dynamo scored eight goals and created 1.8 chances per game for his teammates, which came after the 6-foot technician plundered nine goals to go along with ten assists over the course of 28 league starts throughout the previous term.
No Celtic central midfielder managed more than six Premiership goals last season and O'Riley (2.1) was the only player in that position with an average of 1.5 key passes per match or higher.
The former MK Dons star also ranked second in the squad with his average Sofascore rating of 7.30 – only behind Jota's 7.45 – and this means that the Manchester United flop would have slotted between them based on his form at Ajax during the 2019/20 campaign.
Therefore, the potential is there for the talented Dutchman to be an exciting addition to Celtic's squad if Rodgers can get him back to the levels he displayed in his home country.
Van de Beek and O'Riley could be a nightmare for opposition midfielders to deal with next season as they are both capable of delivering consistently brilliant performances whilst also being able to offer excellent creativity, along with the former's goalscoring threat.