Fenerbahce have submitted a €5m (£4.3m) bid for Lommel midfielder Vinicius Souza, according to reports in the Turkish media.
Celtic are also keeping tabs on the Brazilian but, in addition to Fenerbahce, there are believed to be four other teams (Ajax, PSV, Bologna and Club Brugge) vying for the player’s signature.
With Lommel reportedly holding out for around €8m (£6.9m), it seems the Hoops have a massive fight on their hands if they want to snap up Souza, and fans on Twitter do harbour serious doubts about the move going ahead:
Probably our best chance of getting him would be a loan with the option to buy.
— Kevin Brown (@Kevinbrown_67) June 22, 2022
Am I right in saying city group want to loan him not sell him? If so, we could still be in with a shout.
— Matesy (@MatesyBhoy) June 22, 2022
I hope we get him but I reckon it’s very unlikely
— tommybhoy67🍀🇯🇵 (@sellik10) June 22, 2022
Small time player if he chooses a small turkish team or Celtic 👍
— Matt 🏴🇵🇸🇨🇺☭ (sé/é) (@matts_408) June 22, 2022
This is why we’ll be trying to agree a loan with option to buy at say £7m so we know he’s worth it a year from now
— nick harman (@harmannick) June 22, 2022
He'll end up at Ajax, they want him and have the funds to outbid both Fenerbahce and Celtic.
— sean marshall (@seanmar45372017) June 23, 2022
As Sky Sports journalist Antony Joseph said last week, the City Group are keen for the 23-year-old to join Celtic if he does go out on loan, so there is still some optimism that a deal can be struck.
However, if Souza wants to leave Lommel on a permanent basis, they won’t stand in his way, and if he does decide to make a fresh start, it’s difficult to see Celtic matching the player’s asking price.