‘Flàvio Nazinho on his way to Celtic,’ Belgian outlet reports

Belgian outlet HLN is reporting that Nazinho is set to swap Cercle Brugge for Celtic, with a move to Glasgow described as ‘high on Celtic’s wishlist’.

‘Nazinho (Cercle Brugge) on his way to Celtic

After Felipe Augusto, whose transfer to Trabzonspor has yet to be completed, Cercle Brugge is also in danger of losing Flàvio Nazinho in the short term.

The Portuguese left-back is high on Celtic Glasgow’s wish list after his excellent U21 European Championship. The Scots recently saw Greg Taylor leave for PAOK Saloniki and have set their sights on Nazinho as backup for Kieran Tierney.

Nazinho played two seasons at Cercle, who first loaned him from Sporting Lisbon and then bought him permanently for 1 million euros with a contract until 2028.’

The 21-year-old full-back — who starred for Portugal’s U21s at this summer’s European Championships — it seems, has caught the eye of the Celtic scouting team after an outstanding second season in Belgium.

Though Cercle Brugge struggled last term, Nazinho was a standout, notching two goals and six assists across 39 appearances, including a string of impressive displays in the UEFA Conference League.

After losing Greg Taylor to PAOK and with Kieran Tierney’s return also demanding some squad depth, as Brendan Rodgers has confirmed Tierney’s minutes will be managed carefully this season, a dynamic, attack-minded full-back like Nazinho makes total sense.

He’s quick, direct, comfortable on the ball, and brings that modern full-back flair that Brendan Rodgers tends to demand from his wide defenders. He’ll come in as a backup option for Tierney — but he’ll also will fancy his chances of pushing for minutes.

Nazinho was originally on loan from Sporting CP, who let him go permanently for €1 million. A modest fee at the time, and one that’s now set to give Cercle a tidy profit.

No exact figure has been mentioned regarding what Celtic may be paying, but you’d imagine it’ll still be decent value — particularly in today’s inflated market.

It’s also worth noting that Sporting retain a 15% sell-on clause, which suggests they rated the player but couldn’t find a place for him in their own first-team plans. Their loss could be very much our gain.

With pre-season well underway now, Rodgers will be eager to bed Nazinho in quickly, so hopefully a deal could be done quickly. Though Tierney’s return has rightly made headlines, the need for proper depth at left back is paramount — especially with Champions League football on the horizon and a demanding domestic campaign ahead.

In short, this looks potentially like a smart, forward-thinking move by the club — a player with potential, resale value, and the tools to make a real impact at Celtic. It will be interesting to see how this transfer link develops.

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