Club have 'already reached an agreement' to sign Celtic star who is 'living through hell'

Out of favour Celtic man Luis Palma has reportedly reached an agreement with a European side over a January transfer. The Honduras international was a regular starter last season and contributed 12 goals and 13 assists in all competitions, but he’s fallen significantly down the pecking order over the last five months.

According to Estadio Deportivo, Rayo Vallecano have ‘already reached an agreement’ with Palma for a January loan deal. The plan is to bring the winger in on a temporary deal with a €2.5 million (£2m) option to buy clause in place. The club only need to close the deal with Celtic and get an agreement over the line before the winter window closes.

Rayo Vallecano have had a busy season on the transfer front so far, signing former Real Madrid and Everton midfielder James Rodríguez on a free transfer and seeing five of their own players leave as free agents. Palma has become their latest target but they aren’t the first club to approach the Scottish champions over a potential deal.

Luis Palma linked with Celtic exit

Talks have been surrounding Palma’s future for a while now as the 24-year-old continues to struggle for game time under Brendan Rodgers. On Boxing Day, a report from Palma’s homeland claimed the Honduran is ‘living through hell’ in Glasgow, with just seven Scottish Premiership games under his belt so far this season and a total of 233 minutes in total across all competitions.

Two Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs have also registered their interest in Palma, as well as Olympiacos of Greece. However, despite the ongoing interest in snapping the winger up, another local outlet reported earlier this month that Celtic are ‘are not ruling out’ keeping Palma on the books for the second half of the season due to the volume of matches on their calendar.

Celtic have also reportedly already rejected two offers from France and Germany for the Honduras ace. The Hoops are said to be holding out for ‘at least’ €4 million (£3.3m) if they are going to sanction a full-time move, but Rayo Vallecano are exploring the option of a loan first and foremost.

Celtic continue title dominance

Celtic’s first match of 2025 was a shock 3-0 defeat to Rangers, breaking their unbeaten streak in the Scottish Premiership. Philippe Clement boosted his chances of remaining at Ibrox with the victory but the Gers have since dropped points to Hibs in their latest 3-3 draw.

Since their derby defeat, Celtic have bounced back with two consecutive victories over St Mirren and Dundee United, scoring five goals across the fixtures. They are also still an impressive 16 points clear at the top of the league table, having pulled away from both Rangers and their previous competitors Aberdeen.

The Dons had challenged Celtic toe-to-toe with their impressive run of form at the start of the season, reaching November without a single loss on the board. Aberdeen even held Celtic to a 2-2 draw to keep the early title battle interesting but they have since slipped all the way down into fourth, behind Dundee United on goal difference.