Celtic handed clear advantage in race for Silas Andersen as Sporting CP make contact
Celtic are continuing to pursue Silas Andersen ahead of the summer transfer window.
The BK Hacken midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to Parkhead for months, with the Hoops set to undergo a squad overhaul.
Rangers are also said to be interested in the 21-year-old, and now multiple other clubs have joined the race.
According to the Record on 20 May, Sporting CP have made initial contact, while Hamburg and FC Koln are also pursuing a deal, with the latter side seeing a £3.4million bid rejected.
However, Celtic’s Champions League qualification will surely give them an advantage in the race for Andersen.
Celtic’s Champions League playoff will give them advantage in pursuit of Silas Andersen
After the Hoops won the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, they will also go straight into the Champions League playoff round.
This means that they will only be one tie away from reaching the league stage of the competition.
| Silas Andersen’s Allsvenskan stats this season | Per 90 minutes |
| Goals | 0.15 |
| xG | 0.34 |
| Shots | 1.49 |
| Chances created | 1.04 |
| Successful dribbles | 2.24 |
| Tackles | 2.09 |
In comparison, all the other sides that are reportedly chasing Andersen either are not in Europe, have failed to qualify for the Champions League, or are set to start earlier in the qualification phase.
In Sporting’s case, their second-place finish in Primeira Liga means that they will enter the third qualifying round of the Champions League, which presents a significant challenge for the capital club to reach the league stage.
Celtic can now use this to their advantage regarding Andersen, as they are more likely to now reach the league stage.
Therefore, this may be able to convince the midfielder to join them over Sporting this summer transfer window.
Who else could Celtic sign?
Football Insider has exclusively revealed that Marc Leonard has emerged as a leading target for Celtic ahead of the summer transfer window.
The midfielder had been on loan to Hearts this season and was highly impressive.
Now back at Birmingham City, Celtic are interested in signing Leonard after he impressed for the Jambos as they narrowly missed out on the Scottish Premiership title.
The Hoops want to strengthen their midfield this summer, and see Leonard as a key target ahead of the summer transfer window.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if they can get a deal done over the coming months.
Target: Elijah Just (Motherwell)
Long-term: Carter-Vickers out
League Pos: 2nd (61 pts)
Status: Summer Talks Underway
Revenue: £143.6m (2025)