Celtic have less than 48 hours to complete the remainder of their business in the summer transfer window, as the deadline is set to pass on Friday night.
The Hoops have made five additions to their first-team squad so far, with Adam Idah, Paulo Bernardo, Kasper Schmeichel, and Viljami Sinisalo signing permanently, alongside a loan swoop for Alex Valle.
Brendan Rodgers' side has also been dealt a blow as central midfielder Matt O'Riley completed a move to Premier League outfit Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Scottish Premiership giants are now looking to bolster their options in the middle of the park, with last-gasp swoops for new midfielders this week.
Celtic eyeing late deal for midfield ace
According to Football Scotland, Celtic are lining up a late move for FC Lausanne-Sport central midfielder Alvyn Sanches to compete with the likes of Callum McGregor, Paulo Bernardo, and Reo Hatate.
The report adds that the club's pursuit of Augsburg ace Arne Engels is separate to their interest in the Swiss gem, as they view the Belgian talent as a replacement for O'Riley, whilst Sanches would come in as competition across the midfield.
It reveals that he is rated at £4m and that a deal to take him to Scotland is now on the table, as they look to spend the money they raked in from Brighton.
The outlet states that the Hoops are hoping to bring in two new midfielders before the deadline, which means that Sanches and Engels could both come in as fresh recruits for Rodgers.
Imagine Alvyn Sanches and Arne Engels
At 21 and 20 respectively, Celtic could secure the future of their midfield by completing these two days before the end of the summer transfer window.
Firstly, Engels could come in to provide a creative presence in the middle of the park. In the 2022/23 and 2023/24 Bundesliga campaigns, the 20-year-old star produced five assists in 31 starts.
He ranked within the top 26% of midfielders in the division for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.14) and the top 19% for assists per 90 (0.18) in the 2022/23 season, which speaks to his impressive creativity at such a young age in a major European league.
Appearances
25
Starts
19
Goals
5
Assists
0
Dribbles completed per game
1.3
Tackles + interceptions per game
1.8
As you can see in the table above, Sanches could come in and offer a goal threat from midfield, after a return of five goals in 25 Super League games last term, despite only starting 19 times.
The 21-year-old gem, who was dubbed "highly-rated" by journalist Charlie Gordon, has also made 3.3 tackles and interceptions combined per match across four league games this season, which shows that he can make an impact in and out of possession.
These statistics suggest that Sanches and Engels could complement each other well in midfield, as the former can offer defensive strength and a goal threat, whilst the latter can be the maestro tasked with unlocking opposition defences with his creative quality.
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