Celtic get transfer boost in pursuit of midfield 'target' while Belgian side over the moon after landing Hoops prospect

Daily Record

2 days ago

Brendan Rodgers is hoping to bring in more midfield reinforcements ahead of the new season
Celtic have been given a boost in their search for a central midfield player this summer - with French side Guincamp looking to cash in on star man Kalidou Sidibe.
Brendan Rodgers welcomed Swedish winger Benjamin Nygren to Parkhead on Friday after completing a £1.3million switch from Nordsjælland, but is still keen to bolster his options in the middle third of the pitch.
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Sidibe was touted as a potential £1.7m target for the Hoops earlier this year, with the 26-year-old missing just three league games as his team lost out in the Ligue 1 play-offs.
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And after failing to win promotion to the top-flight, reports in France claim that Guimcamp are open to offloading some of their key men in the summer window in a bid to raise some much-needed cash.
Foot National write that 6ft 7 inches giant Sidibe is one of five players alongside Enzo Basilio, Sabri Guendouz, Alpha Sissoko and Jacques Swie who the club believe they can bank sizeable transfer fees for.
Sidibe - who is eligible to represent Mali at international level - is into the final 12 months of his contract in the north-west of France.
Several players on the fringes of the Celtic squad are expected to be moved on this summer. And one player who has sealed a permanent move away from the club is young left-back Matthew Anderson.
The 21-year-old rose through the Hoops youth academy but did not make a first-team appearance, spending the whole of last season on loan with Austrian second-tier side Admira Wacker.
But those 22 outings have done enough to convince Belgian Pro League outfit KV Kortrijk to hand the Scotland U21 international a three-year contract.
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And the club's sporting director Nils Vanneste believes they have a real talent on their hands.
Speaking to the club's website after the transfer was confirmed, he said: "After the departure of Dion De Neve, we had to strengthen the left-back position.
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"We are happy that we can sign a young talent with an offensive attitude with Matthew."
Speaking to Record Sport earlier this month, Stephen McManus, who coached Anderson with the Hoops B-team, predicted a massive future ahead for the youngster.
He said: "He's got a massive future in the game, absolutely massive. He's a terrific boy with a brilliant family, and again, you can only stay with us, with the B team, for a couple of seasons.
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"Matthew outgrew the B team two years ago. That's why he's not played for the B team. That's why the next stage of his development was to go out and loan.
"Some people make their debut at 16 and then go and play for the rest of their careers. Some people are 21, 20, they need to go a different route. That's fine.
"But what you need to do is, when you get an opportunity, you need to try and become a football player, and that's what Matthew's done.
"He's a terrific boy, terrific worker from a terrific family, and he'll be a top player."