By support

6th Jan, 2017 | 5:14pm

Celtic in three-horse race to sign free agent - reliable journalist

By Matt Farr

Celtic have entered the race to sign former Cardiff midfielder Lex Immers and he won’t cost them a penny – according to a Dutch journalist.

The 30-year-old is currently without a club after being released by the Championship side on Friday, and Celtic are set to compete with Stuttgart and Club Brugge for his signature.

Mikos Gouka, who works for Dutch news outlet Sportverslaggever AD, revealed on Twitter that the Hoops are hoping to offer Immers an immediate return to football.

He took to his personal Twitter account to reveal the transfer update. A further report on the Sportverslaggever AD website repeats the claim.

The Dutch midfielder initially moved to Cardiff on loan from Feyenoord a year ago, and gave an impressive account of himself, netting five goals from 16 appearances during the remainder of the campaign.

His performances encouraged then-manager Paul Trollope to buy Immers on a permanent deal, where he signed a two-year-deal on July 1.

However, since taking the helm in October, Neil Warnock has been less than impressed with Immers’ displays, choosing to terminate his contract.

He made 13 appearances for Cardiff this season, but failed to find the back of the net, and the Welsh-club are currently languishing in 19th-place – just three points clear of the relegation zone.

Celtic are currently on a mid-season training camp in Dubai, but Brendan Rodgers will look to capitalise on the winter break to finalise several new signings ahead of their next game against Albion on January 22.

Football Insider verdict

Neil Warnock clearly didn’t rate Immers that highly if he was prepared to terminate his contract just three months after arriving at the club as manager. Immers did very well during his first campaign, but struggled to reach those heights this term, but did that warrant Warnock to terminate his contract? Given he wants to trim the squad and cut the wage bill, apparently so. Immers will no doubt find a new club soon enough, but Celtic may not be the best option for him. The Hoops already have some very capable, and in-form players in his position, and he would struggle to break into the team at the moment. Brendan Rodgers will have one eye on building a team that can challenge in Europe next season, and while he does have talent, is not of that sufficient calibre.

In other transfer Celtic news, assistant coach Chris Davies has delivered his verdict on transfers, player exits and Moussa Dembele.