Celtic 'on the verge' of signing Aston Villa star tipped for 'incredible career'

Celtic are on the verge of signing Aston Villa goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo, according to reports in Scotland.

It has been reported by The Scottish Sun that the Scottish Premiership giants are 'closing in' on a deal to sign Sinisalo. Celtic's interest was reported in May, and now chiefs at Celtic Park are pushing to get a deal done.

Aston Villa and Celtic are in discussions in what would be a permanent move to Glasgow. Sinisalo is under contract at Villa Park until 2025, and so selling him now rather than letting him leave for free next summer has been deemed the best decision.

The 22-year-old recently spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Exeter City, and was highly thought of during his time at St James Park. Grecians boss Gary Caldwell said Sinisalo would go on to have an 'incredible career' after leaving St James Park.

He started in all but one of Exeter City's League One games last season, and helped them reach the Round of 16 in the Carabao Cup. Sinisalo kept 14 clean sheets in 50 games for Exeter, as they finished 13th.

He was signed in 2018 from Finnish side Espoo, and had loans at Ayr United and Burton Albion, before joining Exeter. It was whilst he was on loan at Burton that he made his debut for the Finnish national team, and then at Exeter, he made his competitive debut, appearing against San Marino in a EURO 2024 qualifier.

Sinisalo’s task of breaking in to the first-team picture has been a difficult one, and with the arrival of Joe Gauci in the January transfer window, a move away from the Midlands might be the best course of action. Emiliano Martinez is the obvious first choice goalkeeper under Unai Emery, whilst Gauci and Robin Olsen are the back-up options so Sinisalo always had an uphill battle of displacing all three.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Celtic are also close to signing former Leicester City goalkeper Kasper Schmeichel, and so Sinisalo will have some some strong competition to contend with for the number one shirt. Celtic have been in need of a goalkeeper after Joe Hart's retirement and Schmeichel is closing in on a reunion with the manager he won the FA Cup with.

Schmeichel will be the number one, but he will be kept on his toes by Sinisalo who could get his opportunities in the cup competitions. Celtic are also in the UEFA Champions League and are likely to be in pot four like Aston Villa.