Nothing to report on any Celtic interest in Ecuadorian winger Nilson Angulo

Ecuadorian winger Nilson Angulo was a reported transfer target earlier in the transfer window, but it appears recent reports indicating a Celtic interest in the player may be misplaced…

Anderlecht's Nilson Angulo — Club Brugge’s Christos Tzolis and Anderlecht’s Nilson Angulo fight for the ball during a soccer match between RSC Anderlecht and Club Brugge, Sunday 18 May 2025 in Brussels, on day 9 out of 10 of the Champions Play-offs of the 2024-2025 Jupiler Pro League first division of the Belgian championship. Photo BRUNO FAHY

It had been reported elsewhere, firstly by Daily Record’s Mark Pirie, that Latin American sports publication BolaVIP had stated Celtic were looking to buy Angulo from Belgian club Anderlecht, for £3million, but a quick translation of the credited article doesn’t include Celtic as one of the clubs in the mix to sign the 22 year old wide player.

Here’s a full translation of that BolaVIP article:

250518 RSC Anderlecht vs Club Brugge Nilson Angulo 19 of Anderlecht pictured during the Jupiler Pro League season 2024 – 2025 matchday 9 of the Champions Play offs between RSC Anderlecht and Club Brugge KV on May 18 , 2025 in Anderlecht, Belgium. Photo by David Catry/Isosport Anderlecht Belgium Photo David Catry

Nilson Angulo stood out in the last Qualifiers matches with the Ecuadorian national team
and this also opened the doors for new challenges in Europe. The tricolor, who had a good season at Anderlecht, has now entered the plans of two teams in Spain.

The two clubs in Spain that would be interested in the signing of Nilson Angulo are Sevilla and Villarreal, according to information from Maria José Flores, two historic clubs and entertainers of the local championship and also at the European level. They both see Nilson as a talent that can be developed in the coming years.

They would not be the only ones interested in Angulo, the midfielder has also already entered the plans of Italian teams. However, negotiations are still progressing slowly. The tricolor player has a contract with Anderlecht in Belgium and his departure would only occur under certain conditions.

Likewise, Nilson Angulo’s entourage is also thinking about the possibility of moving teams a few months before the 2026 World Cup. The tricolor left good feelings on the FIFA date, and would become one of the regulars in Sebastián Beccacece’s call-up.

The sale of Nilson Angulo would also represent an important economic income for Liga
de Quito. The player came out of the ‘quarries’ of the King of Cups and the club also kept a percentage of the player’s transfer for a future sale.

In the last season with the Anderlecht shirt, Nilson Angulo was present in 44 games, scoring 4 goals and providing 4 assists. In total, he spent more than 1,800 minutes in the game. This year is one of consolidation for the player.

Nilson Angulo has a contract in Belgium with Anderlecht until the 2027 season. The Ecuadorian player has a surprising value of 2 million euros, so he is a viable operation for several clubs in Europe that are interested in him.

In short, it seems interest in Angulo appears strong from Italy but with no specific teams mentioned, but also from Spain, with both Sevilla and Villareal, said to be interested in purchasing the player. It also seems the mooted transfer fee is €2m, which would equate to £1.7m, rather than the £3m reported elsewhere today and previously by The Record.

Brendan Rodgers. Queen’s Park 0-1 Celtic. 4 July 2025. Photo by Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Journalist César Luis Merlo writing for StudioFútbol, as we previously reported on The Celtic Star, had claimed that Celtic are one of several teams interested in the player, but that Brendan Rodgers’ side were first to make a bid. The report stated that Celtic were expected to return with an improved bid, but that was back on 10 June.

Since then, there has been no further links to Angulo and Celtic, and whilst he’s certainly a player in demand and probably in Celtic’s price range, it seems today’s links, on the back of the original Mark Pirie, article may be wide of the mark, for now at least.

Niall J

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