Manchester City and Chelsea eyeing move for £22.2 million striker, could Celtic hold the key? – originally posted on Sportslens.com
Manchester City and Chelsea have been linked with a move for Sporting Lisbon striker Rafael Leao.
The Portugal U21 international recently broke into Sporting’s first team, making his debut during Sunday’s 2-0 win over Feirense.
The 18-year-old came off the bench to replace Bryan Ruiz after 69 minutes to complete his rapid rise through Sporting’s ranks.
Leao has been at Sporting since the age of nine and is highly thought of by the club.
He has scored five goals in six games in the UEFA Youth League, plus six goals in 11 games for Sporting’s second string in the Segunda Liga.
Leao is believed to be a big Celtic fan and has expressed an interest in playing for them during his career.
City’s Patrick Roberts is currently on loan at Parkhead and the two clubs’ positive relationship could be the key to Leao’s move to Britain if the Premier League club can sign him.
With the likes of Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus competing for striking roles it’s unlikely that Leao would break into City’s first team straight away, but a successful loan spell with Celtic could be of benefit to all parties.