Celtic have been boosted in their bid to land Argentinian midfielder Fausto Vera after it emerged rivals Corinthians won’t get involved in a bidding war having already seen a bid booted out for the 22-year-old old rising star.
Ange Postecoglou is still on the hunt for someone who can add bite in the Hoops engine room after missing out on Vinicius Souza who opted for a move to Spanish La Liga side Espanyol. The Celtic boss ruled out a move for PSG starlet Edouard Michut but Vera is a payer who appears to be very much on the radar of the Parkhead scouting team.
Vera’s club Argentinos Juniors booted out bids from Corinthians and Belgian side Genk which were in the region of £3.4 million. They are holding out for a fee nearer £5.5 million and club chairman Cristian Malaspina said they wouldn’t stand in the player’s way if they received an offer that they couldn’t refuse.
However, reports in Brazil say that Sao Paulo side Corinthians won’t be held to ransom and instead hope to win the race for the player’s signature with what they can offer on the field - although Celtic have the carrot of Champions League football.
A report in Gazeta Esportiva states: “Whoever thinks there is a desperation for the player is wrong. Sources close to Gazeta Esportiva report guarantee that the club will not enter any auction in the negotiations.
“Corinthians hopes that the power to convince Fausto Vera will be greater than more economically advantageous proposals. A response is awaited by the Corinthians board for the next few days. The guarantee is that the proposal made for the Argentine midfielder is this one and a bigger one will not even be discussed.”
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