Celtic lead Leeds and Coventry in Niko Sigur transfer race as €5m deal edges closer

Celtic are reportedly leading Leeds United and Coventry City in the race to sign Hajduk Split’s Niko Sigur, with the versatile Canada international expected to secure a transfer before the window closes.

The Scottish champions tried to sign Sigur in January, only for the move to collapse. They have now returned for the 22-year-old and appear to have positioned themselves at the front of an increasingly competitive race.

Leeds, Coventry, Valencia and Toulouse are also interested.

According to SportSport, Celtic are currently “closest to bringing in” Sigur after submitting an offer worth around €3.5million.

That proposal has not been enough to convince Hajduk Split.

The Croatian club are reportedly demanding between €4m and €5m before sanctioning the player's departure, leaving Celtic with a relatively small financial gap to bridge.

Sigur wants to leave Hajduk this summer and the club are prepared to sell if their valuation is met.

Celtic's position is strong, but the transfer is far from completed.

Leeds United and Frank Lampard's Coventry City are both interested, while Valencia have become the latest club to enter the race. Toulouse are also monitoring the situation.

That could leave Celtic vulnerable if they hesitate over increasing their bid.

A proposal of at least €4m, combined with convincing Sigur over the sporting project, could potentially allow one of their rivals to move ahead.

Sigur's versatility is one of the major attractions.

The 22-year-old can operate at right-back or as a defensive midfielder, giving interested clubs several options for how to use him.

His performances for Canada at the World Cup also strengthened his reputation and helped generate further European interest.

Celtic nevertheless have an important advantage after making the most concrete move so far.

Celtic now have a clear route towards completing the transfer: increase their offer and meet Hajduk Split's €4-5m valuation.

However, with Leeds, Coventry, Valencia and Toulouse all interested, Martin O’Neill's side cannot afford to wait too long. The relatively small gap between Celtic's bid and Hajduk's asking price also gives their rivals an obvious opportunity to hijack the deal during the final days of the window.

Should Celtic pay the extra €1-1.5m now to secure Niko Sigur before Leeds or Coventry make their move?