CELTIC are set to finalise the signing of Victor Wanyama today, despite the fact that the Kenyan internationalist does not qualify for a work permit.
The Parkhead club’s £900,000 bid for the 19-year-old has been accepted by Belgian outfit Germinal Beerschot and the Clydesdale Bank Premier League side have agreed personal terms with the highly-rated youngster.
The Celtic board had hoped Wanyama would qualify for a Belgian passport under residency rules having lived in the country since 2008, meaning as an EU resident he would not require a work permit to play in Scotland. However, it has now become clear that the African will have to be approved by a Scottish Football Association appeals panel as Kenya are not in the top 70 in the Fifa rankings.
Despite the troublesome red tape, Chris van Puyeveld, the Beerschot sporting director, remains confident the move will still go through. “You can never say it’s a done deal until it’s absolutely done, but I don’t expect there to be any problems,” he said.
The acquisition of the 6ft 2in teenager, the younger brother of Internazionale’s MacDonald Mariga, is a major coup for Neil Lennon, the Celtic manager. The 11-times capped defensive midfielder has been attracting the attention of clubs across Europe after breaking into the first team at Beerschot.
He made his debut for his national team at the tender age of just 15, and is set to join up with his new team-mates for pre-season training when they return from Australia.
Lennon is set to utilise his side’s three-match tour Down Under to take a look at Central Coast Mariners’ midfielder Mustafa Amini, with the Premier League side facing Mariners in Sydney on Saturday morning.
Another player linked with the Parkhead club is Kaizer Chiefs striker Knowledge Musona, who is the leading scorer in the South African Premier Soccer League.
The Zimbabwean had attracted the attention of Bundesliga club Hoffenheim, and was due to travel to Germany this week for a trial. However, Musona’s club have claimed Celtic are keen to bring him to Scotland.
While Lennon hopes to be welcoming some fresh faces his squad, he has stressed he is keen to stop his captain Scott Brown travelling in the opposite direction.
The Scotland midfielder is out of contract next summer and has caught the eye of several clubs in the Barclays Premier League. Despite the interest, Lennon is hopeful he can persuade his inspirational midfielder to extend his stay at Parkhead.
“We opened preliminary talks with Scott at the end of last season,” said Lennon. “He’s on record as saying he wants to stay at Celtic and that is something I’m very pleased about. I’m hoping to get him tied down. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s interest as he was magnificent last season, but I’d be unwilling to sell him.”
If Lennon is optimistic about retaining Brown the same can not be said about his hopes of landing a goalkeeper. West Ham have entered the race to sign Fraser Forster, who spent last season on loan at Parkhead.
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