Celtic have reportedly opened talks to sign Agustín Dos Santos – an 18-year-old Uruguayan midfielder from Nacional, and the son of former Barcelona star Jonathan Dos Santos.
As reported by the Daily Record, the story originates from South American journalist Rodri Vázquez, who states that Celtic have already held initial conversations with Nacional and the player’s camp – his words were that Celtic had already maintained the first conversations with the player’s entourage and with Nacional. Dos Santos, who turns 19 later this year, is contracted to the Uruguayan champions until December 2027 and carries an estimated market value of around €450,000 – very much in the development-signing bracket that suits our recruitment model perfectly.
Dos Santos broke into Nacional’s senior setup in 2025 after coming through their academy, and has featured in four Copa Libertadores matches this season alongside broader first-team exposure in the Uruguayan league. He’s a central midfielder – reports from Uruguay describe him as comfortable in buildup phases, positionally disciplined, and built around short passing rather than end-product. His father Jonathan, of course, came through La Masia and went on to become a fixture at Barcelona and Villarreal, while his uncle Giovani racked up 106 caps for Mexico across spells at Tottenham, LA Galaxy, and beyond. The Dos Santos footballing bloodline is, to put it mildly, not a bad one.
As we’ve covered in our Celtic summer transfer window roundup, this fits a broader pattern of recruitment that has seen us dip into Japan, Mexico, and South America for high-upside prospects – the kind of low-fee, high-ceiling business that typifies our twin-track approach of experience plus development. If the fee is truly in the €450,000 range, this is almost a no-risk punt, and Nacional are the real deal as a development environment – this isn’t a player plucked from nowhere.
I’d be honest with you, folks – Dos Santos is not walking into our starting XI on day one. The senior minutes are still limited, and the Copa Libertadores appearances, while genuinely impressive for an 18-year-old, don’t yet paint the full picture. The comparisons to his father feel a touch premature at this stage, let’s be real. But that’s not really the point. If we’re talking about a €450,000 outlay on a teenager from the champions of Uruguay with serious footballing DNA, that’s exactly the kind of speculative recruitment that pays dividends two or three years down the line. And with a significant squad overhaul anticipated this summer, stocking the development pipeline alongside the headline additions makes complete sense.
The fact this is still exploratory contact rather than a formal bid means we keep our powder dry – but I’d like to see this one progress. Low fee, South American pedigree, and a surname that knows what it takes to play at the highest level. There are worse foundations to build on.
Keep an eye on this one, folks. It has the feel of a quiet coup hiding in plain sight.
Conor Spence
