Celtic are reportedly leading the race to sign Watford forward Jack Grieves this summer.
What’s the latest Celtic transfer news?
The Hoops have made a head start on their transfer business, with two players already through the door at Parkhead ahead of Brendan Rodgers' second tenure in charge following his return.
The club have confirmed the arrivals of midfielder Odin Thiago Holm and winger Marco Tilio from Valerenga and Melbourne City, with the pair seemingly long-term signings after penning five-year deals.
There have been some departures, though, with star winger Jota signing for Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad in a deal worth £25m. That looks set to boost the club’s finances even further, with reports prior to Jota’s exit claiming Rodgers has been given a £30m transfer kitty this summer.
As a result, a new attacker appears to be on the radar for Celtic in Gangwon FC forward Yang Hyun-jun. The 21-year-old is keen on making the move to Glasgow and a £2.1m fee had been agreed between the two clubs.
Gangwon did want to keep the forward until January when the K League 1 season finishes, but it looks as if a summer swoop could now be on the cards. There has recently been a transfer ‘breakthrough’, with reports suggesting that Gangwon are now ready to allow the forward to leave immediately.
Yang could be about to move to Scotland, and it looks as if Celtic also want another forward in Grieves.
According to Football League World, highly-rated teenage forward Grieves is wanted by a number of clubs this summer. The report states that Celtic and Premier League side Brentford are leading the race for his services and are trying to get a deal done over the coming weeks.
Grieves had been offered a contract by Watford, as the Championship side look to keep hold of the attacker, who is a Hornets fan, but it seems as if he is weighing up his future due to interest from a number of sides.
Who is Jack Grieves?
Grieves has been described as a versatile forward and is the great-great-grandson of former Watford goalkeeper Reginald 'Skilly' Williams, who made close to 400 appearances for the club.
He made it four generations of his family to play for Watford following his debut last season. The 18-year-old made three senior appearances for the Hornets, two in the Championship and one in the FA Cup.
Should he make the move to Scotland, you’d expect he could initially ply his trade in the Scottish lowland league with Celtic’s B team, looking to progress through into the first team. Celtic have enjoyed recent success in bringing young players from England to Scotland and transforming them into first-team stars, most notably Jeremie Frimpong.
The full-back arrived from Manchester City without any real first-team experience and went on to star for the Hoops before leaving for Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth £11.5m in 2021, so who knows, Grieves could be the next future star to head north, and by the looks of things, a move is one to keep an eye on.
