Celtic 'getting pretty close' to another signing as admission is made on Josip Juranovic bid

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has revealed his club are “getting pretty close” to making a third winter signing.

Celtic's latest signing Alistair Johnston could be joined by another new face judging by the latest update offered by manager Ange Postecoglou. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Japanese central defender Yuki Kobayashi and Canadian right-back Alistair Johnston are already in the building and will be available from January 1, following their moves from Vissel Kobe and CF Montreal respectively, and appear likely to be joined by another new face. The Scottish champions are understood to have targeted South Korean striker Cho Gue-sung. A fee in the region of £5m is expected to be commanded by his club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors following his strong showings in the World Cup finals. Fenerbahce are also believed to be pursuing the 24-year-old, who became the first player for his homeland to score twice in a game at the tournament. His double came in the 3-2 defeat Ghana that gave way to a victory over Portugal that allowed them to progress from their group.

Postecoglou suggested Celtic could seal a transfer deal for an unnamed player within the coming days. “We’re getting pretty close now,” he said. “I know Michael [Nicholson, chief executive] and Chris [McKay, chief financial officer] want to spend some time with their families at Christmas. We’re working on things. There are still a couple that we are kind of investigating at the moment. We will see how things transpire over the next week or so. We’re not even into January yet so there is still a bit of time.”

Even if the identity of the 23rd senior signing to be sanctioned by Postecoglou across his 19th-month tenure isn’t known, there appears little prospect of the title holders dipping into the domestic market any time soon. Yet, the absence of any Scots among the players the Australian has brought to Celtic isn’t a deliberate policy. “We are constantly looking everywhere, including Scotland,” he said. “Our first port of call is our boys. While we haven’t signed anybody from Scotland, there are guys like Anthony Ralston and Greg Taylor who have become firmly entrenched not just here, but also in the national team. That wasn’t necessarily the case when I first got here.

"We wanted to try and promote players from our B team and our own academy. Whether they are Scottish players or players from another country, that’s going to be our priority. To be fair, the best young players are leaving before they even play for their first teams here in Scotland. That’s a challenge for all of us. We’ve got Ben Doak down at Liverpool. We’ve seen [Nathan] Patterson go. These kind of guys. We’ve got to be smart with our recruiting and go where we know we can get deals done. Even though it’s right on our doorstep, it doesn’t mean it’s easy here in Scotland."

Meanwhile, Postecoglou maintains he doesn’t have to be realistic over losing any players as Josip Juranovic is linked daily with big-money moves and Giorgos Giakoumakis reported to be unsettled, for one simple reason. “I’m totally realistic about it. There’s nothing,” the Celtic manager said. “As we speak sight now, we haven’t had offers for any of our players. No-one is coming to see me and demanding to leave. If and when things transpire, I will deal with them, but right now, there is nothing to deal with.”