Celtic set to sign Barcelona kid

Aug 3 2008 By Mark Guidi

Exclusive Celts Win The Race To Snap Up £2m Barca Wonderkid Crosas

CELTIC are on the verge of signing Barcelona wonderkid Marc Crosas in a s2million deal.

Mail Sport can reveal a fee has been agreed between the clubs and Crosas and his advisors will jet into Glasgow within the next 24 hours to discuss personal terms.

The 20-year-old defensive midfielder is highly rated and was also wanted by Sevilla, Sporting Gijon and Sampdoria.

But the Hoops have beaten off the strong competition after Barca reluctantly agreed to let Crosas (right) move on.

The Catalan giants would have preferred to loan the player to Celtic but Crosas held heart-to-heart talks with his employers and urged them to let him move on a permanent transfer.

The excellent working relationship built up at boardroom level in the past five years between Celtic and Barca also helped seal the deal. Crosas is now desperate to start his Parkhead career and hopes to sign a three-year contract within the next 72 hours.

The Spaniard spent the second half of last season on loan at Lyon where Brazilian star Juninho took the youngster under his wing.

Now Crosas is set to become the Parkhead club's second major summer signing after the s1.25m capture of Georgios Samaras from Manchester City.

Celtic also hope to add to their squad in the next few weeks with a right-sided centre-half and left-back high on their wish list.

But the club are still having trouble moving Bobo Balde off the wage bill.

Sunderland, Birmingham and Ipswich are on Balde's trail but he appears to be happy picking up his huge Parkhead pay cheque.

Celtic will let the stopper move on a free but Balde has so far refused to budge.

The 32-year-old has been out of Gordon Strachan's top team plans for two seasons and that won't change.

The same applies to midfield flop Thomas Gravesen and if both go nearly s3m in wages will be saved between now and May.