Ryan Christie given permission to hold Celtic talks

CELTIC are closing in on the signing of Ryan Christie after Inverness gave the Scotland Under-21 international permission to speak to the Scottish champions.

Ryan Christie: Celtic-bound? Picture: SNS

Celtic had an initial bid for the 20-year-old rejected on Friday but now look set to conclude a deal before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

An Inverness statement read: “As a result of a further approach from Celtic FC, and following discussions with the management team and the player, the board of Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC can confirm that Ryan Christie has been given leave to travel to Glasgow to discuss personal terms.”

Christie - son of former Inverness Caledonian Thistle midfielder and manager Charlie Christie - has made 56 appearances for the Caley Jags, scoring nine goals.

There had been talk last week of Celtic signing Christie and loaning him back to the Highlanders.