Celtic are linked to 21-year-old Fabian Rieder, a player with "twinkle toes" and "unbelievable technical ability" who has also caught the attention of several Bundesliga clubs, claims transfer insider Dean Jones.
Is Fabian Rieder joining Celtic?
It has been a mixed start to the summer transfer window for Celtic this year, with important players and fan favourites Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda signing new contract extensions, while the equally, if not more critical, Jota left Celtic Park to join the burgeoning Saudi Pro League.
The one positive from the Portuguese wingers' move away from Glasgow is that the Hoops now have an extra £25m to play with on top of the £30m that Brenden Rodgers was said to already have this summer.
With these new riches, the club have been heavily linked to exciting Swiss youngster Rieder, who has just helped Swiss Super League outfit Young Boys win their domestic title.
The 21-year-old has been attracting the attention of several Bundesliga sides, with Wolfsburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Borussia Monchengladbach being very interested in acquiring his services, per the Daily Record.
The same publication notes that Rodgers is an 'admirer' of the Koppigen-born dynamo and that, with a reported price tag of just £13m, the Glaswegian giants could undoubtedly afford to go after the player Scottish player turned pundit Stephen McGinn called a "next level signing" on the Go Radio Football Show (via football.Scotland).
What has Dean Jones said about Celtic and Fabian Rieder?
Jones was very enthusiastic about the prospect of this signing, explaining that the young Swiss midfielder would be the perfect man to replace the excitement lost with the departure of Jota.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "They are being linked with Fabian Rieder, and this is exactly the sort of talent Celtic should be looking to get in. He's got unbelievable technical ability and twinkle toes that allow a level of creativity that would set him apart in Scotland, but also at times in the Champions League.
"He's only 21, but he already has a bit of Champions League experience, and if Celtic can get this one going, it truly could be very exciting. After losing Jota, the club needs someone to land for next season that brings a thrill and has people believing that this team won't let such a major exit impact them going forward.
"There are other teams interested here. I was told a couple of Bundesliga sides have been tracking him for a while, and one of them seems to be Dortmund, so we'll have to see what happens. But if you are a Celtic fan and watch even 30 seconds of his highlights reel, you'll want him signed up."
Is Fabian Rieder good?
There is a lot of hype and excitement surrounding Rieder at the moment, and it looks to be entirely warranted.
He had a brilliant year in his domestic league last season, making 30 appearances, scoring seven goals and creating four assists, with Sofascore giving him a season rating of 7.08.
His other statistics were also quite impressive, as according to Sofascore, he completed 0.8 dribbles, 2.2 tackles, 1.8 key passes, kept a pass accuracy of 79% and won possession 1.1 times, all per 90.
Outside of the tangible, measurable statistics, the exciting prospect was also hailed for his "exemplary determination" and "cleverness" by football scout Jacek Kulig.
If the Hoops can get this deal over the line, Celtic Park might soon forget about Jota altogether as a new era of exciting, fluid football comes to the Green side of Glasgow.
