The latest Celtic transfer news as Scottish champions face competition from Premier League for La Liga forward.
With the summer transfer window open and the FIFA World Cup finals progressing it will soon be time for clubs across Scotland to find out their league fixtures for next season.
The Hoops have already been linked with a number of high profile transfers while some first team stars could also make moves away from Glasgow’s east end. The latest news has the Scottish champions set to compete with English Premier League rivals for the signature of a promising young striker.
Celtic and Bournemouth ‘competing’ to sign La Liga striker once of Real Madrid
Per a report from Sport Witness, there is interest from Celtic and English Premier League side Bournemouth in Elche striker Álvaro Rodríguez. The article claims that the Hoops will need to ‘overcome’ the Cherries in order to get any deal done and that the pair are among a number of clubs with an interest in the 20-year-old.
The transfer situation surrounding Rodríguez appears to be a somewhat complicated one with the Uruguay youth international having only joined Elche last summer from La Liga giants Real Madrid. It is reported that Los Blancos have a 50 percent sell on clause as part of the forward’s transfer and that means that his current club will look to hold out for a significant transfer fee to ensure they are suitably financially rewarded.
The report also claims that Bournemouth are prepared to pay €20 million (around £17.2 million) to sign the striker but Elche owner Christian Bragarnik wants more. Figures like that would almost certainly put him out of Celtic’s price range while the lure of the English Premier League is always difficult to beat for many players.
Bologna, Ajax and Feyenoord are among the other clubs credited with an interest in Rodríguez but, like Celtic, it’s unclear if they would be able or willing to match Bournemouth’s offer. The player is contract to Elche till 2029 so the Spanish outfit are under no pressure to sell if they do not wish to.
Elche striker catches eye of Celtic and others after first full La Liga season
Rodríguez began his senior career with Real Madrid’s B team and made a handful of senior appearances for the Spanish giants. He spent time on loan at Getafe before signing with Elche last summer where he scored seven goals and chipped in with five assists in his 34 league appearances.
Elche finished 15th out of 20 teams in La Liga with 43 points, the same number as heavyweights Sevilla. However, they were still only one point better off than 18th place Girona as part of a crowded bottom half of the table.
Rodríguez played youth international for Spain the country of his birth before switching allegiances to Uruguay in 2023.
Continue Reading