Celtic are on the verge of signing transfer target Olivier Ntcham from Manchester City as Brendan Rodgers side prepares for another Scottish Premier League season.
Ntcham is a French under-21 midfielder who had been plying his trade in Serie A with Genoa over the last two seasons. Genoa had the option to buy Ntcham outright, however, the thrifty club were in no rush to buy following the completion of the midfielder’s loan deal this summer.
Following Celtic’s preseason 9-0 thrashing of Shamrock Rovers during the weekend, Rodgers spoke about the pending signing of the highly regarded player.
“He’s going through a medical, all is going well and hopefully it will be announced soon,” Rodgers said.
Ntcham has often been compared to compatriot and Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba. His physical presence in midfield is an attribute that has made the Frenchman a well regarded prospect and was a key factor in Genoa originally taking him on loan.
The 21-year-old didn’t have the best two season while in Genoa and spent much of his time coming off the bench for the club. Genoa struggled in the 2016-17 season, narrowly avoiding relegation, and Ntcham’s key stats reflected that. He did play 20 times for Genoa, but 10 of those appearances were off the bench. Only six times did Ntcham play a full 90 minute match for Genoa last term.
Ntcham has been valued at £1.53 million this summer, and should make a for a great addition to Celtic.
Olivier Ntcham 2016-17 key stats:
- 3 goals in 20 Serie A matches
- 1 assist in 20 Serie A matches
- 10 starts, 10 substitute appearances for a total of 970 Serie A minutes
- 0.5 key passes per Serie A match
- 1.2 tackles per Serie A match
