DEDRYCK Boyata has welcomed the prospect of Celtic signing his fellow Belgian Charly Musonda – and revealed the attacking midfielder is an “unbelievable” talent who is regarded as the future of football in his homeland.
Brendan Rodgers hopes to add Musonda, a Chelsea player who spent last year on loan at Real Betis in Spain, to his Parkhead squad in the coming days.
It will take a transfer fee in the region of £5 million to land the gifted 20-year-old – but Rodgers has stated the Scottish champions are prepared to spend “big money” in order to secure the services of the quality No 10 he is looking for.
The Northern Irishman revealed last week that the Scottish champions, who have signed Jonny Hayes from Aberdeen and teenager Kundai Benyu from Ipswich during the close season, have been courting their target for the past six months.
Boyata, who confirmed Musonda had travelled up to Glasgow to watch a Ladbrokes Premeirship game against St Johnstone in May, said from pre-season training base outside Linz in Austria last night: “I have known Charly since he was 12. He is a very talented player.
“I have seen him play so many times and he is very, very good.
I think he needs some time to play and show what he can do. But he is a player who can confirm all the hype around him.
“He is a very skilful player who can play as a winger or as a No 10. He is very talented around the ball, he has got very good touches. He is small, but quick for his size. Today when they talk about the future of the [Belgian] national team his name is always there.”
Boyata added: “I saw him last season because he came to watch a game against St Johnstone at Celtic Park when we won 4-1. He seemed impressed with what he saw. He was very happy with the style and the way we played.”
Musonda attracted interest from Barcelona, Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid when he was 15, but signed for Chelsea in 2013 along with his two older brothers Lamisha and Tika.
He hasn’t featured in the first team at Stamford Bridge but performed well during a loan spell with La Liga club Betis last year, including in two games against Barcelona. He is believed to view joining Celtic as a shrewd career move.
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