Sources: Celtic in race to sign Hossam Essadak, update on January deal
Celtic and Sunderland are in the running to sign Morocco Under-20 marvel Hossam Essadak in January.
With sources telling Football Insider that Wilfried Nancy is the favourite to become the next permanent Celtic manager, he could arrive with an exciting young prodigy coming to Glasgow in January.
Midfielder Essadak featured in his country’s Under-20s World Cup victory in October, beating Argentina in the final.
Consequently, the tournament victory has put the 20-year-old on the radars of several top clubs including the Hoops and the Black Cats.
Essadak amongst talented Moroccans who will be monitored by top European clubs
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the Bhoys are keeping tabs on the number 31 along with Sunderland.
Given Daizen Maeda wants to quit Celtic, it is possible that the Glaswegian side will acquire the necessary funds to make a bid for Hossam in January.
Speaking on the Inside Track podcast over the pair’s pursuit of the Moroccan, I explained: “Essadak is somebody that maybe is on Celtic radar, having performed so well for Morocco at the recent Under-20s World Cup, where they shocked a lot of teams by going on and winning that trophy.
“So no surprise that some of their players are attracting serious interest following their exploits at that tournament.
“Sunderland have also been linked with Essadak as well. He’s a young player who’s obviously done well for his country and currently plays for Union Touarga in Morocco’s top flight.
“I’m sure Celtic and a number of other top clubs are keeping tabs on Essadak and other players from that Morocco Under-20s team.
“But, I don’t think Celtic will be making it a priority to try and do a deal in January. There’s other areas of the team that need strengthening before midfield.”
Celtic to do all they can to fend off Leeds’ advances for Sebastian Tounetki
Whilst the Hoops consider bringing in Essadak at some point in the near future, they will also need to retain their brightest stars in order to challenge Hearts for the league title.
Sources told Football Insider that Celtic should fear fan backlash if they were to sell Sebastian Tounetki.
The Tunisian has undoubtedly been the signing of the season so far and has quickly become a fan favourite at Celtic Park.
Indeed, the board are considering player sales in January in order to fund potential transfers, yet they should be aware of the repercussions if they were to sell an integral man such as Tounetki, potentially ruining their title defence chances.