Ecuadorian wonderkid insists he’s on verge of Celtic move but Neil Lennon dismisses talk

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One of the stars of the Ecuador squad that reached the semi-finals of the U20 World Cup, Sergio Quintero, has been linked with Celtic recently, but Neil Lennon has offered a pretty interesting response when asked about him.

The Evening Times reported earlier on Tuesday that Quintero was in advanced talks with Celtic and that he was looking forward to the challenge of playing in the Scottish Premiership.

However The Sun asked Neil Lennon about the player, when he was interviewed following the Hoops’ 3-1 win over FK Sarajevo in the Champions League qualifiers.

Lennon said: “That name’s not cropped up. He’s not popped up on my radar.”

Now it could be an elaborate bluff by the Celtic boss to throw others off the scent of his transfer plans this summer, but there’s no doubt it leaves the player himself red-faced following his earlier comments to the Evening Times.

READ MORE: Video: Glorious Scott Sinclair back-heel goal seals Celtic win vs FK Sarajevo

Celtic could be on the look-out for a midfielder this summer, following Olivier Ntcham’s comments about the standard of Scottish football and wanting to leave. The BBC reported earlier that Lennon was unhappy with the comments but there’s no indication if he will be moving him on yet.

The Ecuadorian currently plays for Imbabura SC in his homeland, and appears to be a powerful holding midfielder so he could add a presence in the Celtic midfield alongside Scott Brown and Callum McGregor.

Sergio Quintero in action

There is no indication at this point what the fee for the youngster would be.