The summer transfer window officially slams shut for business on Friday night and Celtic have brought in four new recruits to bolster their squad so far.
Viljami Sinisalo and Kasper Schmeichel have arrived to improve the club's options between the sticks, whilst Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah have signed permanently after their initial loan spells last term.
Signing number five appears to be imminent as Fabrizio Romano recently claimed that full-back Alex Valle is set to join on loan from Barcelona for the season.
The Spanish defender could be joined by a player who could play ahead of him as a dream partner down the left flank for the Hoops this season.
Celtic eyeing late move for winger
According to Italian outlet Corriere Fiorentino, as relayed by Sport Witness, Brendan Rodgers is eyeing up a late Celtic swoop for Fiorentina forward Josip Brekalo.
The report claims that the Croatia international is likely to move on from the Italian side before the end of the summer transfer window on Friday.
It states that the £34k-per-week forward is attracting interest from teams in the Serie A as well as the Scottish Premiership champions, which means that they could face some competition for his services.
The outlet adds that the 26-year-old left winger could be available for the Hoops to snap up on loan in the next few days, but it remains to be seen if they will follow on on their interest with a formal approach.
Why Josip Brekalo would be a dream for Alex Valle
Firstly, the 20-year-old defender's form for Levante on loan in LaLiga 2 last season suggests that he is a defensive-minded left-back who does not get forward much.
Valle made 29 appearances in the second tier during the 2023/24 campaign and only managed 0.6 key passes per match, whereas the Spanish youngster made a whopping 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game.
This suggests that the Barcelona loanee would benefit from having a creative winger ahead of him on the left to make up for his struggles in that regard, whilst allowing him to focus on being a defensive wall at the back for the Hoops.
Brekalo, who was once hailed for his "lovely" technique by journalist Josh Bunting, spent the second half of last season on loan at Hajduk Split and his form suggests that the potential is there for him to be that creative forward.
Starts
12
Sofascore rating
7.58
Goals
2
Key passes per game
2.6
Assists
8
As you can see in the table above, the Croatian whiz caught the eye with an impressive return of ten direct goal contributions in 12 starts in the HNL.
The 26-year-old ace, who produced 22 goals and 19 assists in 129 games for Wolfsburg earlier in his career, could come in and provide the creativity that Valle struggles to offer, which could make them a match made in heaven.
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Valle could sit back and use his defensive instincts to win possession back and then play it simple to Brekalo, who can then show off his quality and creativity in the final third for Rodgers.
