CELTIC are reportedly looking at signing Philadelphia Union’s Mark McKenzie in January. The Scottish Champions are looking at the defender according to Anthony Joseph but PU’s Sporting Director Ernst Tanner says they face stiff opposition to sign him.
Philadelphia Union sporting director Ernst Tanner has told @SkySportsNews that Celtic face stiff competition from the Premier League and Bundesliga for centre-back Mark McKenzie.
They were in talks in the summer but Celtic opted to sign Shane Duffy on loan from Brighton. pic.twitter.com/mRd3ssWtjU
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) December 7, 2020
We understand that Celtic are looking for another centre-back in January and McKenzie, 21, is high up on their list of targets again.
Tanner admits the USA international is "ready to go" but the Hoops will have to battle it out with clubs across Europe if they want to sign him.
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) December 7, 2020
It appears that the Celtic board are going to give Lennon more money to spend as he clings onto the managerial role. The team need defensive recruits in the right back, central defence and goalkeeper roles but they need to be in place as soon as possible given the trip to Ibrox is on January 2nd.
Celtic’s defensive woes have been widely exposed recently conceding heavily as speculation has intensified about the future of Neil Lennon as manager. They do have Kris Ajer, Christopher Jullien and Shane Duffy at their disposal so it is likely that a move would be for next season – preparing for interest in Ajer and Duffy’s loan ending.
McKenzie has a contract until 2022 with an option of a further two years meaning that should any deal transpire, Celtic would have to pay a fee to lure him away. However, as he is just 21-years-old, he may fancy a move to Europe with the prospect of Celtic offering him a platform to play in Europe and compete for trophies.
Celtic have previously signed two promising MLS starlets – Manny Perez and Andrew Gutman with the pair yet to feature. The MLS is becoming an emerging talent pool for Scottish clubs as they use their locality to South America to pick up promising talents. Homegrown talent like McKenzie are showcased in matches with certain quotas needing fulfilled of local players, allowing them to use their platform for a move to a bigger league.
