Daryl Murphy on verge of £1m Celtic switch, says Lennon

DARYL Murphy is poised to become Celtic's fifth signing of the summer after manager Neil Lennon revealed negotiations were "pretty close" to being concluded with Sunderland on a believed £1 million deal for the 27-year-old striker.

Lennon said that Murphy could potentially join up with the Celtic squad during their current four-game tour of North America, which at midnight British time this evening sees them take on Manchester United in Toronto.

Speaking after his side's 1-0 defeat to Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night that marked their opening game of their pre-season trip, the Celtic manager talked up Murphy as a player who could "make us better".

The overhaul of the squad to achieve that objective has picked up pace this week with the homing in on 3m Mexican internationalist Efrin Suarez - who Lennon said is "still close" to being tied up - and the acquisition of Cardiff City midfielder Joe Ledley, who has joined Korean Cha Do-ri and Charlie Mulgrew as Lennon extensively reshapes the squad.

To that end, the week's feverish activity also included Artur Boruc joining Fiorentina and Lennon conceding Aiden McGeady saw his future elsewhere, a wish Celtic will grant if their 10m asking price is met.

Fellow Republic of Ireland internationalist Murphy is at the other end of the transfer scale and has long since been surplus to requirements for Sunderland manager Steve Bruce. Indeed, the nine-times capped 6ft 3in forward spent the second half of last season on loan to Ipswich Town, where his record of eight goals in 18 league appearances contrast sharply with a meagre yield of 14 strikes in 110 outings for the Stadium of Light side since 2005.

Murphy's attraction to Lennon is all about presence rather than predatory instincts. "He's quick, tall and would take the hits for us up here. The boy wants to play here," Lennon said of a player that first caught his attention during a US summer tour three years ago. "I've kept an eye on him ever since."

Lennon will be running his eyes over a beefed-up first XI for the latest in a long line of friendly meetings with United tonight. "A lot of the boys like (Marc-Antoine] Fortune and (Shaun] Maloney and most of the big hitters will come in for this one, (while] Lukasz Zaluska will play a full game," said Lennon, who will be joined by Ki and Do-ri in Toronto, the two Koreans given a longer break following their World Cup exertions.

"It will be great for the squad to see the calibre of player they will play against in the Champions League," said the Celtic manager. The draw for the third qualifying round of the competition that will pit his men against one from Zenit St Petersburg, Ajax, Braga, Fenerbahce and Sporting Braga takes place in Nyon, Switzerland this morning.

Midfielder Ledley made his debut for the club as a second-half substitute against Philadelphia, while fellow new arrival Mulgrew also featured off the bench but then had to be replaced after suffering a cut above his right eye.

The decisive goal came in the 23rd minute when Eduardo Coudet played in French forward Sebastien Le Toux who went past Celtic's American goalkeeper Dominic Cervi before slotting the ball into the net.

Meanwhile, Italian side Fiorentina announced yesterday that they have completed the signing of Boruc from Celtic after the goalkeeper passed a medical.

The Polish keeper has penned a two-year contract with the Viola.

A statement from the Serie A side read: "Boruc, who joined Celtic from Legia Warsaw, will join his new team-mates this week in pre-season training in Cortina d'Ampezzo."

The 30-year-old will compete with French goalkeeper Sebastien Frey for the number one spot at the Florence-based outfit.