Villa forward back on Celtic radar

Aston Villa winger Scott Sinclair is closing in on a £3.5million switch to Celtic as Brendan Rodgers continues to mould his squad.

Villa had previously said they would not allow Sinclair to leave for less than £5million but after splashing out in excess of £12million on McCormack they are prepared to negotiate.

“There is no smoke without fire and there has been a lot of smoke, with a lot of players”.

Rodgers managed Sinclair, 27, for two seasons at Swansea City.

“Scott is a player that I know well, of course”.

Sinclair started his career with Bristol Rovers but was soon snapped up by Premier League heavyweights Chelsea and was placed in their academy system. I know him probably as well as anyone and I know his qualities.

The Scottish champions are believed to have seen several bids rejected for him this summer, but fresh claims from the Daily Record suggest that the Villa man is set to undergo a medical at Parkhead after their latest approach was accepted. After joining Villa he was one of the brighter sparks in last year’s miserable campaign which saw them relegated and it now seems Sinclair won’t be part of Di Matteo’s revolution.

“Until there’s anything clearer to report we can’t say anything more”.

Roberts was withdrawn in Celtic’s 2-1 win over Astana on Wednesday, with Rodgers saying the on-loan Manchester City player was “a risk” for the play-off matches with Hapoel Beer Sheva.