Celtic have reached an agreement to sign Aris FC forward Luis Palma this summer, and a reliable journalist has revealed how imminent the move is likely to be finalised.
What position is Luis Palma?
Palma is naturally a left-winger who has made 52 appearances for Apostolos Terzis’ side since joining from CDS Vida back in January 2022, but he’s been heavily linked with an exit despite still having another three years to run on his contract in the Greek Super League.
According to The Daily Mail, Scottish Premiership rivals Glasgow Rangers, Championship clubs Stoke City and Watford, alongside Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor, have all considered a move for the 23-year-old, but it was Brendan Rodgers who was the first to act on his interest and make a concrete approach.
The Hoops recently entered talks regarding a deal for the Honduras international having tabled an opening offer of £3.5m which is close to Aris’ valuation of their prized asset, and the hierarchy have since received a further boost that he could be on his way to Parkhead.
On Friday, Giannis Chorianopoulos confirmed that the attacker is set to be missing from his club’s squad vs Lamia on Sunday in order to complete his move to the United Kingdom, which seems to be extremely close if the following update is to be believed.
Are Celtic signing Luis Palma?
Taking to X, Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph revealed that Celtic are set to sign Palma in the final week of the transfer window with the two parties almost ready to give the green light on personal terms after a fee was agreed. He wrote:
“UPDATE: Celtic have agreed a fee of around £3.5m with Aris FC for winger Luis Palma. It’s understood talks over personal terms on a four-year contract are in the final stages. Once the deal is agreed and a work permit application is processed, he will travel to Glasgow.”
How many goals has Luis Palma scored?
Across all competitions last season, Palma racked up an impressive 21 goal contributions (13 goals and eight assists) in 36 appearances whilst emerging as Aris’ highest goalscorer in the Super League, via FBRef, highlighting how prolific he can be, so should he put pen to paper, it would be a massive coup for Rodgers and Celtic.
The Top Radical Sports client is also a versatile operator having been deployed in six different positions since the start of his career, including everywhere over the frontline and even two roles in the midfield, so he could be a great option for the boss to have in the building should any unexpected injuries occur in other roles that he could provide cover for.
Furthermore, Palma has been dubbed a “huge player” by his manager Terzis, so he could be able to step up and deliver on the big occasions which the green and white stripes have a lot of in the near future, not to mention that he could be the perfect long-term replacement for Jota, who permanently left the club last month to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.