ANDERLECHT MAKE THEIR MOVE AS KASPER DOLBERG CELTIC DEAL CLOSE
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Aug 30
- 3 min read
I said earlier today that I expected some movement on the Kasper Dolberg Celtic transfer front within the next 12 hours or so.
We’re not quite there yet, but some interesting news out of Portugal this afternoon might, just might, indicate that Celtic are about to get their man.
Genoa Striker Set to Replace Kasper Dolberg, Celtic’s Path is Now Clear
According to sources in Portugal, Anderlecht have entered negotiations to sign Genoa’s Portuguese striker Vitinha.
Not to be confused with the other, better, player of the same name at Paris Saint Germain, Vitinha is said to be keen on a move away from Serie A, and Anderlecht seems like a good fit for a player of his obvious ability, but who has struggled to find the net in recent times.
Truth be told, Genoa have struggled generally, and a move to club like Anderlecht, who will at least compete for the league title every season seems like a good option for the 25-year-old.
It would seem we have a domino effect falling into play here. Adam Idah won’t join Swansea until Celtic sign Kasper Dolberg, and as such Vitinha’s move to Anderlecht is also, probably , contingent on the Belgians completing the deal to sell Dolberg to Celtic.
At this point, maybe Swansea should just cut out all the middlemen and go make Genoa an offer for Vitinha!
Seriously though, if one of these dominoes falls, they all will. So, the minute we see any concrete movement, on any of these three transfers, I would expect the other two to be announced in short order.
The fact that Anderlecht have, allegedly, entered into negotiations to sign a replacement suggest that the Kasper Dolberg Celtic deal is nearing its conclusion, even if other reports are indeed true, suggesting that Celtic still need to up their offer. Clearly Anderlecht think a deal can be done, so, they must believe that Celtic are willing to negotiate further.
This bizarre kind of 4D chess game is common among clubs as the transfer window nears its end. Unfortunately, Celtic will have to play their cards very carefully here, or we could end up as disappointed as we were in January, when we expected Kieran Tierney, and we got Jeffrey Schlupp instead.
Some have suggested that the Vitinha move isn’t necessarily indicative of Kasper Dolberg imminently joining Celtic. They cite the fact that Anderlecht’s back up striker, Luiz Vasquez has also expressed a wish to leave in order to get more guaranteed game time.
The reality though is that Vasquez leaving Anderlecht has been on the cards for a while, certainly a lot longer than the Kasper Dolberg Celtic story, which only became public a couple of days ago.
Also, with Vintinha’s more physically combative playstyle, which emphasizes movement and the ability to work with his back to goal, he’s far more of a natural replacement for Dolberg than Vasquez.
Put it another way, I doubt Vasquez is going to get any more game time ahead of a man that Marseille paid 32 million Euros for just a couple of seasons ago, than he would if Dolberg stuck around.
All three of the players in this saga, Idah, Dolberg and Vitinha want to move on from their current clubs.
Modern football is such that when a player wants a move, he usually gets it. Deals won’t be done in time to affect tomorrow’s Glasgow Derby, but I would hope and expect some announcements not too long afterwards.
