Celtic bailed out of a bidding war with Middlesbrough for Riley McGree after the English outfit slapped in a bid worth up to £5million for the Aussie.
Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou thought he’d landed the 23-year-old Charlotte FC star – who he called up when in charge of the Socceroos – after an initial £2m fee was accepted by Major League Soccer.
The deal looked set to be rubber-stamped but McGree did a U-turn after Middlesbrough returned to the table. Chris Wilder’s Championship outfit have been chasing the former Birmingham loan star for months and they upped their offer to secure the playmaker after offering £2.5m up front and double the amount in add-ons – and earn the player up to £20,000 per week.McGree is understood to have done his medical on Teesside on Wednesday and the move is set to be sealed in the next 24 hours barring any more last minute twists.Celts were keen on the kid but the skyrocketing fee blasted above their valuation and Postecoglou will now focus attention on other targets.
Postecoglou has drafted in Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Icheguchi from Japan in deals worth up to £6m and also added promising Irish youngster Johnny Kenny.
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