Celtic to hijack Rangers’ Mejbri deal after Rodgers talks – expert
Celtic have been backed to hijack Rangers’ move to sign Man United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri after talks with Brendan Rodgers.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie insisted the Hoops would look to beat their rivals to his signature in a “brilliant” move.
He went on to explain that Rodgers, who he described as “one of the best coaches in Europe”, would be speaking to transfer targets to convince them to make the switch to Glasgow.
Mejbri, 21, spent the second half of last season on loan at Sevilla, but struggled to make the desired impact as he made just six appearances.
His future at Old Trafford is now up in the air after Football Insider revealed earlier this year that they would look to offload him on a permanent deal in the summer.
Celtic, meanwhile, are looking to strengthen their squad ahead of this season’s Champions League campaign and have been backed to spend big.
Celtic to hijack Rangers’ deal for Hannibal Mejbri after Brendan Rodgers talks
McAvennie insisted he would have preferred to see Celtic spend money earlier in the window, but with weeks remaining of the window, they could now make their move.
There is a feeling at Parkhead that a more combative midfielder is needed ahead of their European campaign, and the Man United youngster would fit the bill.
The former Hoops striker predicted “two or three” signings to arrive before the window closes on 30 August, and has backed Mejbri to be one of them.
“I’ve heard from people involved in this that Celtic want to hijack the player from Rangers,” he told Football Insider, “That’s brilliant.
“At the end of the day, he’s young, he’s talented and he’s playing for Man United.
“We’ve got another couple of weeks before the transfer window closes, I would’ve liked to have seen Celtic spend some money already.
“Brendan is one of the best coaches in Europe, he’s an elite coach, so he’ll be speaking to players. Sometimes the better the player is, the harder it is to get them.
“That might be what’s happening now, so fingers crossed we’ll see two or three players come in.
“They’ll be looking for quality players and players who can enhance the first team, not just ones to make an impact a year down the line.”
In other news, Celtic are readying a new bid to sign Adam Idah.
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