[ad_pod ]Celtic are interested in signing 20-year-old midfield prospect Sergio Quintero, according to Ecuadorian outlet El Diario.
What’s the story?
Quintero is a player almost certainly unfamiliar to most Hoops fans but it seems the club’s scouts have found something in the unknown Ecuadorian, with El Diario reporting that the Scottish club along with two sides in Quintero’s homeland are keen on signing him this summer.
Given Neil Lennon already boasts a talented midfield, any signing of Quintero would likely be with one eye on the future, rather than expecting him to immediately make an impact in the first-team.
Outspoken pundit, Chelsea flop, Celtic legend. C’mon the Hoops’ Keith throws back to Chris Sutton in the video below…
Who is he?
There’s no record of any senior club action on Transfermarkt, but he is registered at Imbabura SC in Ecuador.
The midfielder has played twice for his country in this summer’s U20s World Cup, starting and scoring in their Last 16 victory over Uruguay. They will now play the United States in the quarter-final of the competition on Saturday.
Quintero’s goal was tremendous, with the young player bursting into the box to get onto the end of a wayward crossed ball, smashing home for his country.
The effort was later tweeted by FIFA as the ‘Goal Of The Day’ in the tournament.
An exciting market
Celtic would likely find themselves priced out of moves for players at the senior World Cup, with stars in their prime at that level difficult to buy considering the transfer market is ever inflating.
At U20s level though the Hoops have a shot at securing the best talent around the globe early, with the tournament representing the perfect chance to see a wide range of international talent in one place, rather than going to the expense of extensively scouting South America or Asia.
Their links to Quintero show they are currently shopping in that pool of players – El Diario’s report is based around the idea that Quintero has attracted the attention of scouts with his World Cup performances – so perhaps one or two other unearthed gems will pop up on the club’s radar over the coming weeks.
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