Anthony Joseph: Rival bidder looking to hijack Celtic target; his owners want him to join Ange

Celtic remain interested in signing Lommel SK midfielder Vinicius Souza this summer but other clubs are also keen on acquiring his signature.

Hoops have been linked with a move for the 23-year-old in recent times, as Ange Postecoglou looks for midfield additions after the exits of Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton.

Souza has become a key man for Lommel, shining in a defensive midfield role and averaging both 3.7 tackles and 3.6 aerial duel wins per game in the Jupiler Pro League last season.

It appears as Celtic are still eyeing up a move but will now face some serious competition in the race for his signature.

Taking to Twitter, reliable journalist Anthony Joseph confirmed that the Hoops still want a loan deal but Turkish giants Fenerbahce are trying to hijack the transfer:

“UPDATE: Lommel SK have rejected a £4.3m bid from Fenerbahce for in-demand defensive midfielder Vinicius Souza. They’d prefer not to sell the Brazilian but value him at £8m. A host of clubs including Celtic, Ajax, PSV, Bologna and Club Brugge are still interested in a loan.”

This comes after a previous update from Joseph in which he revealed that Lommel’s owners, the City Group, would prefer the player join Ange at Celtic.

With Bitton moving on after a glorious spell at Parkhead, Souza could be the ideal man to come in and fill the void left by the combative star in defensive midfield.

The Brazilian could bring power and presence to Celtic’s first XI, and at 23, he would be considered a long-term acquisition with great potential and possible sell-on value too.

The Hoops will clearly have to work hard to get their man, however, and they must hope that the lure of Champions League football, and a strong chance of being a Scottish Premiership champion, are