Celtic have made approach to sign “impressive” £4m star

Celtic are not narrow focused in their recruitment strategy during transfer windows, as they look at big and small market leagues to source new talent.

This summer, for example, they have signed players from Japan, Norway, Scotland, and England, which shows that they are open to looking all over the globe.

One of the markets they have had success in is Premier League youngsters, with Jeremie Frimpong one of their most notable success stories, as they have snapped up young talent from down south.

Celtic signed the full-back from Manchester City in the summer of 2020 and went on to sell him to Bayer Leverkusen for a reported fee of £11.5m just 18 months later, as he hit the ground running in Scotland.

Celtic make approach to sign Man City starlet

The Scottish Premiership champions are now reportedly eyeing up a move for a star who could come in as a Frimpong repeat for the Hoops next season.

According to CeltsAreHere, Celtic have made an approach to Manchester City to sign teenage defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey on a season-long loan deal.

The report claims that the 19-year-old centre-back, who is valued at £4m by Transfermarkt, believes that he needs to test himself at first-team level next season, and the Hoops are interested in giving him the opportunity to do exactly that.

It adds that there is also competition from clubs in the English Championship, but Celtic have European football to offer the defender and that could sway his mind.

Contact has already been made with the Premier League giants over a potential deal, and it is now down to the club to reach an agreement with the Cityzens and with Simpson-Pusey to get a move over the line.

Why Simpson-Pusey could be the next Frimpong for Celtic

Celtic reaped the benefits of plucking a young talent from Manchester City’s academy when they signed Frimpong five years ago, and they could do so again with this centre-back.

Whilst it would be a different deal, given that this would be a loan rather than a permanent one, it is still a move that could benefit the Hoops as it would provide them with a talented left-footed centre-back option to call upon.

Simpson-Pusey, who was dubbed “impressive” by analyst Ben Mattinson, won the Premier League 2 Player of the Season award in the 2024/25 campaign for his superb performances at U21 level, and is reportedly regarded as one of the biggest prospects in the U21 set-up in England.

The teenage starlet earned six first-team appearances for City in the 2024/25 campaign, which is six more than Frimpong ever made for the club, and he made his full Champions League debut in a 4-1 defeat to Sporting, as Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick.

As you can see in the table above, Simpson-Pusey’s individual performance in and out of possession was more than respectable, despite the scoreline, which looked worse than it was for the defender because his teammates gave away two penalties.

The English youngster is yet to prove himself at first-team level on a regular basis, just as Frimpong hadn’t when he moved to Parkhead, but his development to date suggests that he has big potential, given his emergence in the senior side under Pep Guardiola and his U21 achievements.

Therefore, this could be a high-risk and high-reward signing for the Hoops, as they would be bringing him in without really knowing how he will adapt to playing senior football on a regular basis.

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The club once took that risk with Frimpong, when they signed him from Manchester City’s U21 side, and they could hit gold with the Cityzens academy once again by sealing this deal to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ defensive options.

He may not go on to make the club millions in profit, as the Dutch international did, but Simpson-Pusey could be another City youngster to hit their stride at Parkhead.