According to the reports from the Scottish Sun, Celtic are ready to table a bumper offer for West Bromwich Albion’s midfielder Rekeem Harper. The Bhoys have been linked with Harper for the past few months, but the rumours had died down recently. However, Celtic are now seemingly stepping up their pursuit for him.
The midfielder is said to be out of contract at the Hawthorns. Celtic can reportedly land him for £300,000 as they will be required only to pay a cross-border compensation fee. The Baggies are said to be desperate to keep their 19-year-old midfielder, and Harper recently had a talk with new boss Slaven Bilic about his future.
It is yet not clear whether Bilic was able to convince him about staying at the Hawthorns, but Celtic are trying every trick in the book as they are willing to come up with a bumper offer for Harper. Some heavyweight clubs like Liverpool, Spurs and Juventus are also linked with him, so Celtic are probably aware that they will need to make an extra effort to land this talented midfielder.
The 19-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in the Championship last season as he made 23 appearances for his side.
What will Harper bring at Celtic Park?
The Englishman is a versatile midfielder as he can fill in various roles in midfield. However, we think that he is best suited to play in a box to box role. Harper is known for excellent control on the ball, and he can go on marauding runs from midfield. His strength and dribbling skills make it tough for the opponents to get him off the ball. For comparisons, his playing style reminds us of Yaya Toure, and it is no surprise that there is a lot of pulling and tugging between various clubs to acquire this talented midfielder.
Does Celtic need a midfielder?
Olivier Ntcham and Tom Rogic‘s future are uncertain at the moment as they are being linked with a move away from the club. Moreover, Celtic will feel that they need to get in another midfielder after they missed out on the signing of David Turnbull. A dynamic midfielder like Harper will be an ideal player to have as he can slot in and play in various kind of roles in midfield.
Scott Brown and Callum McGregor will likely continue to start in central midfield, but Harper would be an upgrade over the likes of Nir Bitton and Ewan Henderson. The Englishman is yet to reach his true potential, but with more experience, he can turn out to be a matchwinner on his day.
