CELTIC have reportedly been given permission to sign one of their transfer targets in January.
Brendan Rodgers has already confirmed that he plans to add “quality” to his squad in the upcoming transfer window, and many names have been tipped to make the move to Parkhead next month.
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SunSport understands the manager is eyeing at least one striker to add depth to his team with Kyogo Furuhashi and Oh Hyeon-gyu expected to be missing for a period in the New Year due to the Asian Cup.
But whilst an attacker is priority for the Northern Irishman, he is also considering other positions as well.
And Portuguese star Tiago Araujo, 22, has emerged as a potential option for the Hoops this week.
The versatile Estoril player – who has been deployed at left-back and the left side of midfield this season – is said to be on the manager’s shortlist ahead of a January swoop.
A product of the Benfica youth academy – just like former Celtic fan favourite Jota and current loanee Paulo Bernardo – Araujo left the European giants to agree a permanent exit with their league rivals last year.
But now he looks set to be on the move again with Estoril keen to secure a fee of around £4million for his services.
That’s according to A Bola, who claim Celtic’s interest “would be welcomed” if they match that price tag.
Estoril agreed to a 50 per cent share of the player when they signed him from Benfica in 2022 which means they will only earn half of the fee they receive from the player when they decide to sell.
It will see them net around £2million for Araujo if he leaves for Celtic in January.
The report suggests they have yet to receive a concrete offer from any club though.
Araujo has made 16 appearances for Estoril this season and has impressed in his homeland, scoring two goals and registering three assists.
He’s a player that could interest Rodgers but the manager has already made it clear that he wants to add experience to his squad next month.
On his transfer plans, Rodgers said: “There’s no doubt experience is important. You cannot just have a team of really young players.
“You’re never going to extract that potential out of them unless you have experience beside them.
“We have young talents here that will develop and grow and that’s the model of the club.
“But to continue to improve and grow, you need to also have players who are established because they help bring those players up.
“And I am very, very confident that we can do that over the coming transfer windows.
“Also, for the level of games you play, if you solely rely on young players for game after game after game, then they don’t have it in their legs. You’ll find they will break down.
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“Every club will always look to bring in young, talented players and that can be a good business model. You progress them and then fly and the club gets the money. But every player can’t be that.”
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