Celtic told Premier League FREE transfer striker who could soften blow of 'missing out on £15m man'

The Scottish champions were in the running for Georgian international Giorgi Kochorashvili

Sporting Lisbon boss Rui Borges claimed Celtic lost out on a “£15million player” after hailing the signing of Georgian international Giorgi Kochorashvili - but Callum Wilson has been touted as a potential free transfer for Hoops.

Celtic reportedly made a late bid to try and hijack the £5m signing of Kochorashvili for next season by the Portuguese giants.

Sporting had to announce the deal outside the transfer window as part of an agreement with the player's club Levante, who have financial problems.

And Sporting boss Borges revealed they attempted to sign the midfielder in January...only to be told he would cost £15m then.

He said: "We had already observed him on many occasions. He's a player who reflects what we identified as a coaching team.

"He is a competitive player, he has goals in his game, technical quality and will add a lot to the squad.

"Over the weekend, it became clear we had the opportunity to bring forward this purchase

"In January, we would have probably paid £15 million for Gio. We tried, but it wasn't possible. Now it is and we are delighted to sign him."

But former Republic of Ireland international Andy Townsend told BoyleSports who offer the latest Football odds, that Celtic should move for Newcastle United star Wilson.

The ex-Aston Villa man said: "Callum Wilson is out of contract in the summer and I could absolutely see him at Celtic, I think it could be ideal for him.

"He is on a free transfer but could still get a significant wage, the one problem is if he can stay fit enough to have the impact on the team he and the club would want.

"At Celtic he could play 25 games and win the league, he has experience and has been around a long time, when he plays he looks good it’s just the injury concerns.

"A move to a club like Celtic would make a lot of sense for him, he could help Adam Idah with his experience, but he would need to be able to play 30 times in all competitions from Celtic’s point of view. The move would work if that was the case, otherwise Celtic may look elsewhere."

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