Aliadiere on verge of Celtic move
Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere has arrived in Glasgow with a view to completing his loan move to Celtic.
The 22-year-old Frenchman is set to join the Hoops in a season-long deal from the Highbury club.
Aliadiere is set to become Gordon Strachan’s second capture since succeeding Martin O’Neill, with free agent Mo Camara having already joined from Burnley to fill the left-back slot.
Strachan is also in the market for a goalkeeper and has Artur Borac of Legia Warsaw in his sights as a cheaper option to first choice Antti Niemi, who is rated at more than £2m (€3m) by Southampton.
Legia sports director Jacek Bednarz confirmed negotiations have been opened with Celtic over Boruc.
The 25-year-old has been compared to Liverpool’s Champions League hero, Jerzy Dudek, by his club.
Turkish club Trabzonspor have had an offer for the 25-year-old rejected, while Crystal Palace are also looking at the keeper, according to the Polish side.
Bednarz told BBC Sport: “The offer from Trabzonspor was not enough.
“Celtic have not made an offer, but they are negotiating with Raymond Sparkes, who is acting on behalf of Artur and ourselves.
“But we have now begun preparing for the new season and he is training with us and, on Friday, we will go to a training camp in Austria and he will come with us.
“We need him because he is a very good player. Although Jerzy Dudek is the top Polish goalkeeper, Artur has the same level of ability, he only lacks Jerzy’s experience.
“However, if we receive an offer from Celtic, Trabzonspor or Palace that matches our valuation of Artur, then we will sell him.”
He added: “He is one of our main players. For me he is the best in Poland.”
The Hoops have already been told that Poland striker Maciej Zurawski is willing to join them, having snubbed a more lucrative offer from Trabzonspor.
However, he is unlikely to be a Celtic player in time for the start of pre-season training tomorrow.
The Hoops have yet to finalise arrangements with Wisla Krakow and are not likely to complete the move until next week.
It is understood Celtic have yet to agree to the Polish champions’ proposals for a payment structure and as a result the player is still in his homeland.
A Wisla spokesman told the Press Association: “The next move is on the Celtic side.
“We have sent them our proposal. They have to confirm that they still want him. We are still waiting for a response from Celtic.”
Tomorrow also marks the beginning of Celtic’s five-year kit deal with Nike, which will be worth at least £5m (€7.5m).
Strachan also has the task of moving on players who are not central to his plans.
Sweden goalkeeper Magnus Hedman, who played under Strachan at Coventry, does not appear to have a Parkhead future and may soon accept a pay-off deal.
Defender Ulrik Laursen could also be leaving, with the Dane attracting interest from a number of clubs, including FC Copenhagen.
Forward David Fernandez, who has hardly been used since moving from Livingston in the summer of 2002, is a target for Championship side, Cardiff City.
