Ismaila Soro’s proposed move to Celtic has been hit by another delay.
Late yesterday afternoon it was reported that all issues at the players end had been resolved but according to the Daily Record that is not the case.
At the age of 21 Soro, from the Ivory Coast, has already played in Moldova, Belarus and Israel which appears to have prompted a number of agents to demand a slice of the £2m windfall heading towards Bnei Yehuda.
The Daily Record reports:
Record Sport understands chief executive Peter Lawwell is hopeful Soro will be given the green light to put pen to paper on a four and a half year contract over the weekend as he attempts to resolve a number of issues which have held up the 21-year-old’s arrival.
It’s understood the player’s representatives have been in dispute with Israeli club Bnei Yehuda over the size of slice of the transfer fee – while Celtic are also waiting for a work permit to be approved before they can sign off on the deal.
Soro had said he hoped to travel to Scotland on Thursday but claims he is already on his way were dismissed by senior Parkhead sources.
The player admitted on Wednesday night: “I will probably leave tomorrow to fly to Glasgow.”
However, it’s believed an agreement is imminent despite the delay.
Once the contractual disputes are resolved it shouldn’t take Soro long to be available with the Israeli season continuing through December and January. The 21-year-old is expected to compete for the defensive midfield roles currently filled by Callum McGregor and Scott Brown.
Once he arrives in Scotland Soro will undergo a medical while a work permit application is made for a non-internationalist. On Wednesday night Soro came through the full 90 minutes as Bnei beat Hapoel Afula 1-0 to progress in the Israeli State Cup.