Celtic have begun moves to strengthen their squad by making an offer for Holmbert Aron Fridjonsson, an Icelandic under-21 striker, and also expressing their interest in Zhang Xizhe, a Chinese international midfielder.
According to Sverrir Einarsson, the chairman of Fram, the Scottish champions have bid in the region of £120,000 for Fridjonsson, who was on trial at Lennoxtown earlier this month. The 20 year-old scored 10 league goals this season as Fram finished 10th in the 12-team Iceland Premier League and won the cup. Einarsson believes a deal for the 6ft 3in player is not too far away from being concluded.
"We have received an offer," he told STV. "We responded to Celtic last night and we are waiting to hear again from them. They are not far away [in terms of the fee]. I think we are hoping it will happen. Celtic would be a very good club for him. He is a special type of player and I would be disappointed if he didn't go all the way. I believe that he will."
Peter Lawwell, the Celtic chief executive, also revealed the club are keen to sign "phenomenal" talent Zhang. Lawwell, who was part of a delegation that travelled to China earlier this month, watched the 22-year-old and was impressed, telling Chinese media there would likely be an opportunity for Zhang to join Neil Lennon's side next year. With Celtic keen to tap in to the Chinese market, Lawwell hopes the player could make the same impact as Shunsuke Nakamura, the Japanese playmaker, and Ki Sung-Yueng, the Korean midfielder. Zhang, who plays for Beijing Guoan, has been capped seven times for the Chinese national team.
"We were informed about him earlier this year," Lawwell said. "He is an intelligent player and left a profound impression on us. We are very interested in the local market. In addition, we wanted to have a look at Zhang and a better understanding of him. He is a phenomenal player and he is very hopeful of getting a place in the Celtic squad. He is young and is very good both physically and technically. He is progressing all the time and showing improvement.
"One of the most important issues would be how he would adapt to the rhythm of European football. Shunsuke Nakamura and Ki Sung-Yueng had great success with Celtic and both are similar to Zhang. But of course, he would need to prove himself. Next year, we will return to Beijing to discuss matters relating to business cooperation and when the time is right, we will invite Zhang to join the team."
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi will not figure for Barcelona when Celtic complete their Champions League group games at Camp Nou on December 11. The Argentine, who was absent when Tata Martino's side won 1-0 at Celtic Park, was yesterday ruled out for up to eight weeks with a hamstring injury.
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