Rekeem Harper has been linked with a loan move to Celtic in January (Getty Images)
According to Daily Mail, Scottish champions Celtic have joined the race to sign 19-year-old West Brom midfielder Rekeem Harper on a free transfer in the summer.
The Daily Mail understands that Celtic manager Neil Lennon made a trip to watch Harper make a late substitute appearance in the Baggies’ playoff semi-final defeat to Aston Villa.
Harper, along with his representatives, made a visit to Parkhead on Sunday to watch the Hoops claim their eighth domestic title with a 2-1 victory over Hearts, the Daily Mail understands.
The same source claims that the Hoops would need to fend off interest from newly-promoted team Norwich City and North London giants Tottenham Hotspur if they are really serious about getting their hands on the highly-rated youngster. (h/t Daily Mail)
A youth product of West Brom, Harper made his senior professional debut for the Baggies in the 2017-18 season of the Premier League. Harper made only one league appearance in the top-flight but he really came of age in the Championship this time around, contributing with a goal and an assist in 17 appearances.
As things stand, the Baggies face the risk of losing one of their brightest academy talents, with the 19-year-old out-of-contract in a month’s time and refusing to put pen to paper due to the club’s failure to make it back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
A regular for England at all youth levels upto U-19, Harper has made a total of 25 appearances for the Baggies in all competitions till date. And it looks as if the youngster is set for a move away from the Hawthorns, with so many top clubs circling around like sharks.
Essentially a central midfielder by trade, Harper has earned plaudits for his calmness and composure in possession, good range of passing and tough-tackling nature. A strong, tenacious, tough-tackling and all-action central midfielder, the 19-year-old has the stamina to cover every blade of grass on the pitch and shoulders both attacking and defensive responsibilities.
Harper not only excels with his ability to win possession back for his team but he also likes to drive forward with pace and has a knack of creating chances with key passes in the final third. He is a good dribbler too and has the flair, acceleration and the trickery to create his own space in the middle of the park.
To put things into perspective, Celtic are not in dire need of bringing in central midfield reinforcements at the moment but signing an immensely-talented youngster like Rekeem Harper for free could pay rich dividends in the long run.
The Hoops once again got the better of arch-rivals Rangers in the title race and are well on course to completing a third successive domestic treble but they should continue to invest in new players to keep moving in the right direction.
Scott Alan is set to join Hibernian on a free transfer this summer, and while that still leaves Celtic with Callum McGregor, Scott Brown and Oliver Ntcham as options in the middle of the park, Harper has the talent and the potential to increase competition for places and add more depth to the squad.
Also, Ntcham has attracted interest from FC Porto (h/t Football Scotland) and the Hoops might find it difficult to hold on to the Frenchman this summer.
Eboue Kouassi, on the other hand, hardly played this season due to an injury and the Ivorian will certainly have a lot to prove to the new manager in the pre-season tours, meaning that Harper should get his fair share of opportunities next season should a move materialize.
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Suffice to say, Celtic would do themselves a world of good by beating off competition for the talented 19-year-old midfield enforcer and signing a player like him on a free transfer would be nothing but an absolute steal.