Celtic to spring out of nowhere for “flamboyant” £3.4m target – report

Scottish, Tiago, Araujo, and Celtic Premiership

Celtic and Brendan Rodgers are very close to acquiring their first move of the January transfer window. Wide player Nicolas Kuhn from Austrian side Rapid Vienna is supposedly “on the verge” of joining the Scottish Premiership leaders for a fee of between £2.5 million and £3 million.

However, Rodgers has other plans for this month. According to Mark Hendry of Football Scotland, the Hoops manager also wants to bolster his defense with a striker and a left-back, with Tiago Araujo of Estoril being a possible candidate for the latter position. It appears that Celtic reached out to Araujo in November, but there has been no further progress and it’s been “crickets” ever since. However, that might be about to alter.

Scottish, Tiago, Araujo, and Celtic Premiership

Celtic and Brendan Rodgers are very close to acquiring their first move of the January transfer window. Wide player Nicolas Kuhn from Austrian side Rapid Vienna is supposedly “on the verge” of joining the Scottish Premiership leaders for a fee of between £2.5 million and £3 million.

However, Rodgers has other plans for this month. According to Mark Hendry of Football Scotland, the Hoops manager also wants to bolster his defense with a striker and a left-back, with Tiago Araujo of Estoril being a possible candidate for the latter position. It appears that Celtic reached out to Araujo in November, but there has been no further progress and it’s been “crickets” ever since. However, that might be about to alter.
Celtic might at last extend an offer to Araujo.

Now that there has been a long period of calm, Celtic could suddenly make an offer for Araujo. O Jogo claims that the Glasgow team is getting ready to make an offer for the Estroil defender.
Tiago-Araujo

Although there hasn’t been any recent communication, it seems like it will happen soon. Knowing that his old club Benfica is entitled to half of the transfer proceeds, the Primeira Liga team will not sell him for less than £3.5 million.
Taylor’s difficulty can be solved by Araujo.

Araujo, a Portugal under-21 international, joined Estoril in the summer of 2022 and has since made 53 appearances for the team, 23 of which have come this season. From full back, he has produced an outstanding attacking performance, contributing six goals directly (three goals, three assists).

In fact, he is tied for tenth place among left-backs in Europe’s top 10 leagues in terms of involvements across all competitions. If you just consider athletes who are located in Portugal, Sporting’s
Araujo is quite active in the opposition’s final third, as the numbers show. He is sixth in the Portuguese top division for crosses into the penalty area this season (11) and in the 85th percentile for crosses attempted per 90 minutes (4.58) when compared to full-backs in leagues of a similar size over the previous year. He places as high as the 94th percentile for shots per 90 (1.33), demonstrating that he is not afraid to take shots on goal either.

Since the 22-year-old began his career as a winger before switching positions, his style of play is not surprising. The “flamboyant” Araujo has been compared to former Spurs and Real Madrid player Gareth Bale, who experienced the opposition transformation in his career, by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

As Greg Taylor’s backup, Rodgers hasn’t given Alexandro Bernabei much credit, giving him just 71 minutes of playing time and not starting him in any competition. Taylor has thus far started and finished 17 of the league games in which he has been named in the starting lineup.

The Scotsman carrying a heavy load makes the squad appear out of balance in that area, but Araujo’s strong play this season shows he can offer Rodgers the competition and cover he needs. While Estoril’s demands appear reasonable, Celtic can expect them to drive a hard bargain, knowing that they will forfeit a portion of the revenue.

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