Fortune Looks To Be Headed To Parkhead

AS Nancy Striker Agrees Terms With Celtic

As The Irish Examiner was going to press on Tuesday, Celtic announced that they had agreed personal terms with AS Nancy striker Marc-Antoine Fortune and was undergoing a medical at Celtic Park.

The 27-year-old has been a target of new manager Tony Mowbray since he joined the club last month (he was on loan with Mowbray's West Brom last season) and has been feted by several English clubs, including Fulham, Portsmouth and Hull City in the Premiership.

According to reports, the club agreed a fee in the region of £3.8 million with AS Nancy.

Mowbray is also trying to get Fortune's former team mate, defensive midfield Landry N'Guemo on a season long loan at Parkhead.

Asked about the pressure that the interest in Fortune from south of the border puts on negotiations to persuade players to come to Glasgow, Mowbray said that Celtic has certain other advantages such as the "huge pulling power from the support and the history and tradition of this club.

"Believe it or not," he continued, "there's a lot of footballers who play for the love of the game as well as the money that goes with it.

"To play for a club fighting for championships, hoping to compete in the Champions League is a much bigger draw than taking the money sometimes and going and fighting against relegation and playing in a league when there are only really four teams who can ever compete to win that league."

The acquisition of Fortune and N'Guemo would help fill the gaps left in the squad after the contracts of Dutchman Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and midfielder Paul Hartley were allowed to expire without being renewed.

Hibernian have indicated that they are interested in signing Celtic 'keeper Mark Brown, but they are less interested in paying Celtic a transfer fee.

This could prove a sticking point; despite the fact that Celtic have signed Polish international Lukasz Zaluska from Dundee United as Boruc's backup, they are determined not to let Brown go for free while he is still under contract.

Rumors surfaced on Tuesday that former Celtic and Northern Ireland midfield, and current Celtic reserve team manager, Neil Lennon is the top choice to be appointed to the top job at League One outfit Stockport County.

The decision about who will replace Jim Gannon (who was made redundant before moving to Motherwell) will be made on Wednesday or Thursday this week.