Celtic’s deal to sign Maccabi Netanya winger Jocelin Ta Bi for £2m in the January transfer window appears to be on the verge of collapsing.
Sky Sports reports that the Hoops had agreed terms with the 20-year-old winger to sign him for £2m from the Israeli club, only for his medical to reveal that he needed surgery.
The outlet reveals that this revelation has caused the deal to stall and that the club are now looking at other targets that they could bring in to bolster their wide options instead of Ta Bi.
Martin O’Neill, who oversaw a 4-0 win over Dundee United in his first game back, has yet to make his own addition to the squad, after Julian Araujo was signed on Wilfried Nancy’s watch.
Celtic in talks to sign new winger for O’Neill
The experienced Northern Irish boss could be on his way to his first signing, despite the Ta Bi setback, as the Hoops chase another wide option.
According to The Herald, Celtic could wait until the summer to complete a deal for Ta Bi, and they have identified a player who could come in instead of him in the short term.
The report claims that the Hoops are in talks with Brazilian side Red Bull Bragantino over a possible move to bring Ignacio Laquintana to Parkhead in the January transfer window.
It states that the Uruguay international is keen on joining the Scottish Premiership giants, and it seems as though talks are ongoing over a deal to sign him on loan for the rest of the campaign.
The Herald adds that Preston North End are showing an interest in current Celtic star Hyun-jun Yang, but it is unclear if his future is connected to any deal for Laquintana.
Why Celtic should sign Ignacio Laquintana
The Scottish giants should look to get a move over the line for the Red Bull Bragantino winger in the coming days or weeks because he would be an even better signing than Ta Bi.
Even if the 20-year-old attacker were injury-free and available to play, Ta Bi would have been a risky signing because, per Transfermarkt, he has only ever played 12 games above the second tier of Israeli football, and has scored just two top-flight goals in his career.
He is an inexperienced young player who may have needed time to adapt and adjust to Scottish football, because he is still adjusting and adapting to senior football in general.
Laquintana, however, is a 26-year-old forward who is in the prime years of his career, with experience in the top-flight in Uruguay and Brazil in recent years.
The Uruguay international delivered four goals and six assists in all competitions in the 2025 campaign for Bragantino, per Sofascore, which was a career-best tally for the winger, suggesting that the Hoops are signing him at the peak of his career.
|
Stats |
Laquintana (2025 Brasileiro) |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
23 |
|
Starts |
13 |
|
Goals |
4 |
|
Big chances missed |
1 |
|
Big chances created |
4 |
|
Assists |
3 |
|
Cross accuracy |
16% |
|
Possession lost per game |
6.7x |
As you can see in the table above, Laquintana racked up seven goal contributions in just 13 starts in the Brasileiro in 2025, which shows that he can be effective without starting games on a regular basis. That is an important factor because of Yang’s return of two goals in his last three games, meaning that he may be the regular starter ahead of him.
These statistics also mean that he scored twice as many top-flight league goals in 2025 as Ta Bi has scored in his career to date, which is why he would be a less risky addition to the squad this month, as he has proven more in his career up to this point.
With a three-way title race on the cards with Hearts and Rangers, Celtic need players who can come in and hit the ground running in the second half of the season, in order to claim the Premiership title once again.
That is why signing an experienced winger like Laquintana, who is also coming off his best year in senior football, instead of going for a young and inexperienced player like Ta Bi could make a lot of sense for the Hoops.
Better than Kyogo: Celtic submit offer to sign a “great talent”
Celtic are reportedly in talks to sign a striker who would be even better than Kyogo Furuhashi.
Therefore, O’Neill’s squad may be better off, in the short-term at least, by the club signing Laquintana on loan instead of bringing in Ta Bi on a permanent deal in the January transfer window.
