CELTIC are said to have “concrete interest” in an experienced Dutch goalkeeper ahead of the summer transfer window opening.
Brendan Rodgers is searching for a new stopper with veteran Joe Hart retiring at the end of the season.
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The Northern Irishman also has Benjamin Siegrist and Scott Bain in his squad but both players have been out of the picture for some time.
A new goalkeeper is a priority for Rodgers and the Hoops’ scouting team will be working tirelessly to ensure he gets his man.
Now, according to reports in the Netherlands, Celtic are lining up a swoop for RKC Waalwijk No.1 Etienne Vaessen.
That’s according to Dutch outlet Brabants Dagblad – who claims Celtic are preparing an offer for the experienced goalie, with his contract expiring at the end of the campaign.
Vaessen is free to speak to other clubs and Celtic are reportedly set to come calling, but they face stiff competition with PSV Eindhoven also keen on the 28-year-old.
It’s reported that Vaessen has made it clear to his current club that he won’t stay beyond the summer and is happy to find a new cub, even if he isn’t first choice.
He has spent his whole senior career at RKC since making his first team debut in 2016 and is now interested in starting a new chapter of his career.
And Glasgow could be his next destination.
Vaessen is a key player for RKC having been their first choice for a number of years.
But the stopper missed a few weeks of action earlier this season after he suffered a horrific injury in a clash with Ajax in September.
He collided with striker Brian Bobbey in the 84th minute and the game had to be halted and then later postponed to a later date once the severity of the injury was revealed.
RKC players could be seen in tears as they watched their team-mate down injured and staff covered him with sheets to give him privacy while he received treatment.
He was stretchered off and had to be rushed to hospital straight from the stadium.
Vaessen returned to action a month later and has been donning head gear ever since, similar to Chelsea legend Petr Cech.
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But it’s not the first time the 28-year-old has suffered serious injuries.
In 2014, Vaessen was working as a security guard while playing amateur football in the Netherlands aged 19.
He was stabbed during one of his shifts while chasing a shoplifter.
He was hospitalised for days and still has a scar to remember the frightening moment.
Speaking to Dutch outlet Elfvoetbal in 2021, he recalled: “A date that I will never forget. A date that I also want to have tattooed.
“Together with a colleague, I stood at the door to intervene if there was a theft. Suddenly a boy was caught stealing an iPad and running out of the store with it.
“I wanted to prove myself. This was the first time I had been arrested. had to do. I went after that boy. After a hundred meters I caught him, after which a struggle ensued. Suddenly I saw a huge knife.”
“So long. I didn’t feel anything at the time, but I saw a lot of red on the side of my body. I wiped my hand there and it was completely covered in blood.
“When I was surprised, that boy ran away, took his bicycle and disappeared from our field of vision.
“My colleague at the door had run after me and leaned over me. ‘It’s not too bad,’ he answered when I asked if I was bleeding a lot.
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“Afterwards he admitted that he only said that to reassure me I felt nothing. Probably because of the adrenaline rushing through my body. I was in a kind of trance. The pain only came later that day.”
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