Celtic and Everton face off in transfer battle as pair scout 'real treasure' who could bank 'serious' money

Celtic are set to do battle with Everton as they look to sign a rising star in Europe.

The Hoops will look to bolster their ranks this summer and the Premiership champions know signing players primed to make a future impact is key. One player who could fit into that bracket is Veljko Milosavljevic at Red Star Belgrade. Still only 17, he has made 16 appearances for the Serbian side as he establishes himself as a promising centre-back.

According to Kurir, both Everton and the Hoops have shown strong interest and have the defender watched ahead of the summer window. He is described as a top talent and one that is thought to be in the running for sealing a move worth major money.

Celtic and Everton want prized talent

The report states: “Veljko Milosavljević is one of the most talented footballers of Crvena zvezda. The strong defender, who is not yet 18 years old, got a chance with coach Vladan Milojević this spring . Unfortunately, injuries took their toll and Veljko Milosavljević did not play as much as he and the club had imagined. However, the games in which he started as a starter were enough to draw attention to himself. Milosavljević was especially impressive in the derbies against Partizan this spring, when he left a more than positive impression.

“With his size, which is a height of 192 centimeters and a weight of 83 kilograms, Veljko Milosavljević seems to have been designed for island football. Scouts from English Everton and Scottish Celtic closely follow the games of the Serbian youth national team. In the last few games of the Superliga, the emissaries of these two clubs watched the performance of the promising Serbian. Veljko Milosavljević is a real treasure of FK Crvena zvezda and they are well aware of that in Ljutice Bogdana 1A.

“Recently, the International Football Institute CIES conducted an analysis of the most talented young football players . There were eight Serbs on that list, and Veljko Milosavljević was highly ranked, in 42nd place. The young Serbian is estimated to be worth 3,900,000 euros already, which means that Red Star could earn serious money on a potential sale in a year or two. His game can be described briefly in the following words. Milosavljević aspires to become the prototype of a modern stopper. He carries the ball well and creates play from the last line of the team, while he is concrete in defensive tasks. He is positively aggressive, dominant for his age. He played in the youth Champions League, where he demonstrated exceptional quality in clashes with players from strong football academies.”

Where Celtic and Everton need to strengthen

In the here and now, centre-back is not an area where Celtic need to make urgent renovations. Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty and Liam Scales have been the go-to central defensive options this campaign with Maik Nawrocki spotted on rare occasions. Stephen Welsh and Gustaf Lagerbielke are out on loan but will return to the club in the summer.

As for Everton, their needs are a little more pressing, but how quickly the Serbian star would go into a Premier League team is unknown. James Tarkowski has been injured in stages this season, leaving Jarrad Branthwaite, right back Jake O'Brien and Michael Keane as central defensive options.