da casino: The January transfer window is now officially open for business and Celtic are not wasting any time in their pursuit of additions to Wilfried Nancy’s squad.
da lvbet: Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph claims that the Hoops have made an approach to Bournemouth in an attempt to sign right-back Julian Araujo on loan for the second half of the season.
However, the reporter adds that the Cherries already have their maximum number of international loans, which means that the Scottish Premiership giants will need to wait for them to recall one of them before they can seal a deal for the Mexico international.
Football FanCast recently published an article explaining how a move for Araujo could end Anthony Ralston’s career at Parkhead, as it could leave him short of game time and left to consider his future at the club.
Celtic showing interest in signing new winger
However, the reigning Scottish Premiership champions are now reportedly keen on a player who could be an even better signing than Araujo this month.
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According to journalist Martin Charquero, Celtic are “interested” in a deal to sign Red Bull Bragantino winger Ignacio Laquintana in the January transfer window.
The reporter claims that the Hoops want to bring the Uruguayan attacker to Parkhead this month, and that a transfer could take place before the European window slams shut.
Charquero, however, does not reveal how much money it would take to convince Bragantino to part ways with the 26-year-old forward in the coming weeks.
Laquintina’s current contract with the Brazilian side is due to expire at the end of this year. This means that the Serie A outfit do not have many more chances to cash in on him if he does not put pen to paper on an extension, possibly giving Celtic an advantage in negotiations.
Why Celtic should sign Laquintana
The Hoops should look to get a deal over the line for the Uruguay international because he could be what they have been missing on the right flank, and be an even better signing than Araujo.
Whilst the Bournemouth defender would be a shrewd short-term loan signing to replace Anthony Ralston, Alistair Johnston is set to return from injury in March, which could make Araujo the second-choice right-sided centre-back option at that point.
Laquintana, meanwhile, could come in as the bona fide first-choice option as the right wing-back, which is essentially a right winger role, in Nancy’s 3-4-2-1 system, as the Hoops are still looking for their Nicolas Kuhn replacement.
The German forward, as shown in the graphic above, provided plenty of goals and assists on the right flank during his time at Parkhead, before a £16.5m move to Como in the summer.
Hyun-jun Yang and James Forrest have scored two goals and provided zero assists in 26 combined appearances in the Premiership this season, per WhoScored, after the club opted not to sign a natural right wing replacement for Kuhn.
2025 Brasileirao
Laquintana
Appearances
23
Starts
13
xG
1.66
Goals
4
Key passes
16
Big chances created
4
Assists
3
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Laquintana scored four goals and provided three assists in just 13 starts for Bragantino during the 2025 Brasileirao campaign, which shows that he can offer far more of a threat than Yang and Forrest from a right wing position.
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The 26-year-old star, who has scored one goal in two caps for Uruguay this season, has shown that he can be more productive in the final third than Nancy’s current right wing or wing-back options with his form in 2025.
Laquintana, therefore, could be an excellent and much-needed signing to provide the manager with a genuine threat on the right side of the attack, as opposed to Yang and Forrest, who have failed to deliver consistent quality on that flank.
This means that the international forward would fill a bigger hole than the one that Araujo would, as Johnston is due to return as the first-choice in the right-sided centre-back role, and would be a more important signing for the club.
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On top of that, Laquintana would be a permanent signing who could provide quality over the course of several years, instead of being a short-term loan addition like Araujo, which is another reason why he would be a better signing for the Hoops overall than the Bournemouth defender.
