Sergio Quintero has claimed that he is close to completing a move to Celtic.
Over the last decade Celtic have tended to keep transfers under wrap until the player is on his way to Glasgow with most of the details all wrapped up.
The midfielder made a big impact at the u-20 World Cup in Poland last month, helping Ecuador to reach the semi-finals which has put him and his team-mates in the shop window for moves to Europe.
Celtic have been linked with his team mate Jose Cifuentes for over a month with Quintero under contract to local side Imbabura until January.
Explaining the situation from an interview in Ecuador The Sun reports:
And Quintero has revealed his switch to Glasgow is now at an advanced stage, with developments expected this week.
He said: “I’m thinking about a move to European football. I’m trying to be calm about it and take it easy. The representatives of Celtic have been in talks for some time with the president of Imbabura. An agreement has to be reached this week if the transfer is to go through but if the deal doesn’t go through I am relaxed because I have offers from other clubs in Europe and Ecuador. It’s important to make the best decision for me.
“It would be very difficult to adapt to life in a country like Scotland, but with time I think I would be able to settle in. I’ve already done English lessons – not a lot, but I have learned enough.”
Celtic have been linked with moves for David Turnbull, Rekeem Harper and Romaine Sawyers since the transfer window opened.
With reports of interest in Tom Rogic and Olivier Ntcham it seems that the hoops are looking to strengthen that area of the park before anyone moves out.
Manchester City have been linked with Cifuentes but that deal would have problems gaining a work permit.
One potential problem with a move to Celtic would be Ecuador participating in the Copa America every second year which overlaps with the start of UEFA qualifiers.