Sunderland and Celtic have both made official offers for Union Touarga midfielder Hossam Essadak.
[That’s according to Africa Foot](https://africafoot.com/sunderland-et-le-celtic-passent-a-laction-pour-hossam-essadak/), who report that Touraga have confirmed official offers have been made by Celtic and Sunderland for the 20-year-old.
They report that Touraga Sport (UTS) confirmed in a telephone interview that the club’s management had received offers for Essadak. Sunderland and Celtic both want him in the January transfer window.
The defensive midfielder has been courted by clubs for several months. This has included clubs in Moroccoa such as Wydad Casablanca and RS Berkane. Touraga are insistent that they will not speak to any of these clubs.
That’s a position they’ve taken for a while, and they don’t intend to change it. “The priority is now given to European offers, which can help the player develop and offer greater visibility to the club,” an ‘executive’ at the club is quoted as saying.
That gives Sunderland and Celtic a prime opportunity to get their man. With official offers already in, expect more in the coming months ahead of January.
Essadak is captain of the Moroccan U20 national team. He earned admirers during the U20 World Cup, where he was key to the Atlan Lions’ victory in that tournament.
According to Africa Foot, Sunderland and Celtic plan to send representatives to Morocco to observe the midfielder more closely in the coming weeks. They will then finalise their plans for him.
Essadak had already been close to a move to Europe last summer. Las Palmas were keen on him and a €400,000 deal was agreed. The Spanish side’s relegation eventually ended that. Whether Sunderland or Celtic will pay the same, or more, remains to be seen.
The feeling, though, is that offers are already in. Negotiations are also expected to intensify before January.