Celtic have been handed a boost as one of their transfer targets is keen on a move to Glasgow this summer, it has been reported.
Business slow for Celtic
It has not been quite the summer many Celtic fans hoped for following their Scottish Premiership and Cup double last season, with Brendan Rodgers' side looking largely the same as it did at the end of last season.
They have confirmed the arrival Kasper Schmeichel on a one-year-deal to replace the retired Joe Hart, while Finnish shot-stopper Viljami Sinisalo has also arrived from Aston Villa.
Celtic now open to offers for trio who take home a combined £30,000-a-week
The three players are deemed surplus to requirements at Celtic Park.
2 ByBen BrowningJul 29, 2024
But despite very little action in the window so far, Rodgers was staunch in his belief that the club will kick into gear between now and the end of the transfer window when quizzed on the slow-going summer.
"We know the targets we want to bring in. There's still a long way to go in the window. We know what we want to do and the priority positions we want to improve.
"Whilst the club are getting on with that myself and the coaches are focused on the improvement of the team physically, tactically and technically. By the end of August I would expect us to have the players that we want in.
“I’ll make it clear to the Celtic supporters we want to improve, get better. We don’t want to stand still this season, we know we want to improve the squad and by the end of the window shutting I’d expect us to be that."
Now, they have been handed a boost in pursuit of one of their defensive targets, though a deal may still take some time.
Good news for Celtic in Bueno chase
That comes over Wolves defender Hugo Bueno, who is now "eager" to move to Parkhead on loan. According to Give Me Sport, the defender has "serious doubts" over game time at Molineux, having made just seven Premier League starts across the 2023-24 campaign.
Hugo Bueno's Wolves career to date (Premier League)
Appearances
42
Starts
23
Goals/Assists
1
Yellow Cards
2
Total minutes
2041
As a result, a loan move is "appealing" for the 21-year-old fullback. In even more positive news, Wolves are "becoming more open-minded" to letting him leave for the upcoming campaign, despite having already rejected an offer for Norwich for his services this summer.
A temporary exit would be unlikely to cause too many issues, with Bueno still having four years left to run on his £10,000-a-week deal at Molineux, meaning that Wolves will remain in a strong position over his future even 12 months on.
The defender was hailed as a hard worker by Wolves U23 boss James Collins, something that Celtic fans are sure to appreciate should he move north of the border.
“You talk about hard work, and that boy works harder than anyone I know. After we finish training he grabs a bag of balls and he’s doing little stepovers and jinks.
“Some people think that’s luck or talent, but that’s not talent. That’s him working extremely hard at his craft to become more threatening in the attacking third", Collins explained.
Bueno's arrival could see Celtic look to emulate the success story of Paulo Bernardo. Like Bueno, he was a 21-year-old starved of first team football (he played just 750 minutes of Portuguese top flight football in 2022-23) with others ahead of him in the pecking order.
12 months on, he is set to rejoin Celtic on a permanent deal after a successful loan, something that the Bhoys will almost certainly be keen to emulate with Bueno should he succeed at Parkhead.