20 hours ago
Demir Tiknaz sees Celtic transfer 'contact' made with Rio Ave as Besiktas clock ticks on quick flip plan
The Turkish international is on loan from the Istanbul giants and reports in Portugal claim the Hoops are interested
Reports in Portugal claim Celtic have "made contact" with Rio Ave over a deal for Demir Tiknaz.
A Bola reports that French Ligue 1 outfit Lille are also interested in the Turkish midfielder and that the Premiership champions have joined his list of admirers.
However, Rio Ave can only discuss a potential transfer once they've made his loan switch from Besiktas permanent. The option to do that for €5million expires next Tuesday, so the clock is ticking for the Liga Portugal side to try and turn an immediate profit.
And it's claimed that they will only consider offers around the €10million (around £8.4m) mark.
Tiknaz made 28 appearances for Rio Ave last season, scoring four times and providing two assists.
He is currently on international duty with Turkey, who play friendlies against America and Mexico, the latter being played in the early hours of Wednesday morning - after Rio Ave's option expires.
Celtic could of course approach Besiktas directly should that pass without the Portuguese club exercising their option, but their apparent willingness to cash in quick could make a deal easier if the signs there first.
You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
