Celtic have been linked with a move for the little known Bahlul Mustafazada who currently plays for FK Qabala in Azerbaijan.
The 22-year-old defender is out of contract in the summer and is looking to spread his wings once this season is over. Speaking yesterday, the defender welcomed the Celtic interest and said he would jump at the chance to join the Parkhead club.
Now his FK Qabala teammate Rauf Aliyev has thrown his weight behind the move by insisting the defender is going places and Celtic would be getting a great player in Mustafazada.
“This season Bahlul has been outstanding for us.” Aliyev told SunSport. “He only broke into the team really this season, but he’s earned his chance and gone from strength to strength and he’s been an important player for Gabala.
“I read about the interest about him from Celtic and I believe this would be a very good move for him.
“He’s young and still learning, but he is a top prospect for Azerbaijan.
“Every day I see him working by himself to get better and stronger. He’s very dedicated to try and become a top player.
“If he continues to progress like this, I have no doubt at all he will go on and play in one of the top European leagues.
“He is certainly capable of it.”
Celtic will have to replace Dedryck Boyata and Filip Benkovic in the summer when both players leave the club. It’s heartening to see the club is being proactive in trying to identify targets early for any new manager who comes in this summer.
Celtic don’t have time to waste because their Champions league adventure begins mid-July as the club look to negotiate through FOUR qualifiers to get to the group stages.
It remains to be seen if Bahlul Mustafazada will be a part of the club at that point but signs suggest there is certainly interest from both parties.
