This time Celtic have been connected with a Turkish midfielder.
Demir Ege Tiknaz.
According to Turkish daily A Bola, the player, who is on loan at Rio Ave in Portugal from Turkish side Besiktas and has a €5 million buyout option, intends to complete the agreement before looking to sell him for twice that amount.
Celtic are thought to be interested if this happens. According to the article, French team Lille is also in the mix. ‘Demir Tiknaz’s list of admirers continues to increase.
After our publication claimed that Lille (France) is interested in the young midfielder, The Ball can now confirm that Celtic Glasgow (Scotland) is as well.
The British club has already made initial contact with Rio Ave to see how they can move forward with a definite proposal, but the Rio Ave directors will only look into the topic if the player is purchased from Besiktas.’
Rio Ave’s option to acquire Tiknaz from the Turkish side, for five million euros, expires next Tuesday, and once the operation is done, they will have full negotiating authority to reply to offers, which must be for €10 million.
It should be mentioned that Demir Tiknaz is presently representing the Turkish national team, which has two friendly matches scheduled for this international window against the United States of America (today, at 8:30 p.m.) and Mexico (in the early hours of Tuesday to Wednesday, at 1:30 a.m.).
Celtic are certainly looking for centre midfield reinforcements, and if this is a legitimate transfer target, his stats hint to a player on the rise who is already putting up some outstanding figures.
Tiknaz is 20 years old and is now with the Turkish national team for future games against the United States and Mexico. It is expected that he will get his maiden international cap in the coming days.
He has played as both a defensive and attacking central midfielder, and his stats suggest that he is a deep-lying playmaker with great defensive performance.
According to FBRef, Tiknaz ranks in the top 99 percentile for interceptions, the top 92 percentile for non-penalty goals, the top 83 percentile for blocks, and the top 81 percentile for clearances. He also ranks high in terms of successful take-ons, passing completion rates, and aerial duels won.
This is the first time Tiknaz has been associated with Celtic or any British team, so if Celtic is interested, they may have gotten ahead of any local competitors. However, if Lille is interested, Celtic will undoubtedly face competition in enticing the player to the club.
It’s early days, and it appears that a few pieces will need to fall into place, but the price is within Celtic’s budget, and the player’s stats alone suggest he’d be a strong fit for a Brendan Rodgers club.
This may be a terrific addition for Celtic, and one that they should keep an eye on.
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