Antwerp have been linked with an interest in signing Gustaf Lagerbielke from Elfsborg.
Late on Monday night a report from Sweden claimed that talks were ongoing over a £3m deal for the central defender.
With Carl Starfelt close to joining Celta Vigo there is an obvious need for Celtic to bring in another central defender to compete with Cameron Carter-Vickers and Maik Nawrocki.
Lagerbielke appears to fit the bill but that also applies to Royal Antwerp who face the winners of the postponed AEK Athens v Dinamo Zagreb Champions League tie in a Play Off at the end of this month.
News of Celtic’s interest could bring the issue to a head with one option providing guaranteed Champions League football with a move to Belgium offering either Champions League or Europa League matches through the autumn.
Belgian site Voetbol24 reports:
Marc Overmars does not intend to start the current core of the Champions League campaign. The Dutchman wants to significantly strengthen Antwerp.
The fact that the arrival of Mandela Keita has finally been completed is of course a huge step in the right direction. Now that there is a reinforcement in midfield, Overmars is fully committed to finding a new central defender.
According to Sacha Tavolieri, the Antwerp CEO has a number of targets in mind, including nineteen-year-old Soumaïla Coulibaly. The Frenchman currently plays for Devil Thomas Meunier’s side, Borussia Dortmund .
Coulibaly’s value is one million euros and his contract runs until mid-2026. In addition to Coulibaly, 23-year-old Gustaf Lagerbielke from IF Elfsborg is also on the list of the Great Old. Let’s wait and see who they can snare…
🔴⚪️ Infos #RAFC in brief :
🇫🇷 Soumaïla Coulibaly (#BVB) part of the options for Royal #Antwerp FC officials at central back position in case Gustaf Lagerbielke deal didn’t happen.
⏳ Wait&See. #mercato #JPL pic.twitter.com/CxiMQOfgb2— Sacha Tavolieri (@sachatavolieri) August 9, 2023
There was a six day turnaround between news of Celtic’s interest in Nawrocki surfacing and the transfer being concluded.
With three weeks left in the transfer window activities will have to be stepped up to get deals completed without complications or rival bids coming in.
If Starfelt joins Celta Vigo it will leave Celtic down three significant players from last season after the transfer of Jota and Aaron Mooy’s decision to retire.
Bringing in Lagerbielke would provide good options and cover in central defence but Rodgers knows that a few areas need to be strengthened if Celtic are to build on the successes of the last two seasons.
Left wing looks to be an area short of options. Last season Jota and Daizen Maeda featured on that side of the park, with Oh Hyeon-gyu out injured for a month Maeda has a double role on the left and also as the back-up striker to Kyogo Furuhashi.
