Celtic have reportedly ‘made an enquiry’ regarding Barcelona midfielder Alex Collado, according to Sky Sports journalists Anthony Joseph and Lyall Thomas.
The lowdown: Hot prospect
Part of the famous La Masia academy following a switch from Espanyol as a fledgeling youngster, Collado has come through the ranks at the Camp Nou, amassing 34 direct goal contributions in 103 appearances for the youth sides.
The 23-year-old Spain youth international – who has previously been linked to Sheffield United – made a debut for the Catalonian giants in May 2019 against Celta Vigo and spent the second half of last season on loan at Granada.
In the final 12 months of a deal at Barcelona (Transfermarkt), now it appears as though the Hoops are among the clubs keen on landing Collado this summer…
The latest: ‘Made an enquiry’
Taking to Twitter, Joseph, in conjunction with Thomas, shared the Celtic interest in the one-cap Spain Under 19 starlet.
“Celtic have made an enquiry for Barcelona attacking midfielder Alex Collado. The 23-year-old is said to be attracting interest from a number clubs in Europe, including Olympiacos. Collado, who can also play as a winger, spent last year on loan at Granada.”
The verdict: Exciting times
Having already added players of a similar age profile in Alexandro Bernabei and Moritz Jenz – as well as the permanent captures of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota – signing Collado would cap off a superb transfer window for the Celtic Park hierarchy.
Capable of operating in central and wide areas, the talented Spaniard shares a close stylistic likeness to the likes of Anthony Gordon, Jack Harrison and Miguel Almiron (FBref), and also boasts a wealth of impressive forward-thinking attributes that would endear him to the Parkhead faithful.
Last season, Collado – who was described as ‘spectacular’ by Barca boss and club legend Xavi upon completing his loan exit to Granada – scored twice and provided one assist in 17 La Liga outings, earning a 6.75 Sofascore rating whilst winning 3.7 duels, making 1.0 key pass and taking 1.0 shot on average per game in the process.
Valued at £3.6million, still young enough to develop further and with the experience to make an instant impact on Ange Postecoglou’s plans, Celtic should be pushing to make this deal become a reality.