Celtic face an uphill battle to sign Josh Maja on a pre-contract this January, with English Premier League side Cardiff City joining the race lure him away from Sunderland, as reported by The Scottish Sun.
Maja’s deal at the Stadium Of Light expires at the end of the season, meaning the Hoops could bring him to Glasgow for a cross-border compensation fee far below what English clubs would have to shell out for him.
However, Sunderland are looking for £4m for him this month, with Cardiff willing to put a cash money offer on the table, say the paper.
That could rule Celtic out of the running, with the player suddenly becoming less of the bargain option he would have been without other interest.
He’s certainly an interesting prospect, shining for Sunderland this season in their bid to return to the English Championship.
Scoring 16 goals, the player emerged as one of the brightest young English talents in the lower leagues.
At just 21 years of age he could benefit from a bit of the Brendan Rodgers shine, with the manager having a good record of improving attacking talent.
Can we convince him his future lies in Glasgow ahead of tempting offers in the Premier League?