Who is Gustaf Lagerbielke? Celtic transfer target profiled as £3m defender labelled ‘big talent’

Celtic are interested in signing talented IF Elfsborg defender Gustaf Lagerbielke after identiyfing him as a possible replacement for the departing Carl Starfelt.

Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers is in the market to strengthen his central defensive options following the news that Swedish international Starfelt wants to leave the club to be closer to his partner and former Hoops Women’s star Jacynta Galabadaarachchi, who recently signed for Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.

It seems likely that a permanent transfer to La Liga side Celta Vigo - managed by Rafa Benitez - could be completed this week after Starfelt’s agent Blash Hosseini helped push a deal over the line for his client, with Celtic moving quickly to replace him.

Fellow countryman Lagerbielke is the man Rodgers wants to bring to Parkhead, with a view to developing him further. Hoops officials after reportedly locked in talks with his parent club over a potential deal.

Reports on Tuesday claimed an offer had already been submitted by the Scottish champions, which would represent a club-record sale. Celtic are gearing up for their latest venture into the Champions League group stage and Rodgers is eager to make sure his squad are ready and prepared to compete with Europe’s elite clubs.

Here is everything you need to know about Lagerbielke; such as his playing style, how close he is to joining Celtic, what’s been said about his future and where he will fit into the starting XI:

Who is Gustaf Lagerbielke? What are his former clubs?

Born in Stockholm, Sweden on April 10, 2000, Gustaf Lagerbielke is a centre-back who currently plays for IF Elfsborg in the Swedish Allsvenskan.

The 23-year-old, who played for his country at Under-17 and Under-19 level, made his full international debut in a 2-1 friendly win over Iceland earlier this year.

Lagerbeilke began his playing career within the youth set-ups at IFK Stocksund and FC Djursholm before making the move to top-flight side AIK. He joined their academy and played for the club’s Under-19s side. He was subsequently loaned out to lower league side Sollentuna FK to aid his development and gain first-team experience.

After a successful season-long stint, Lagerbielke signed for the club on a permanent basis in January 2019. From there he earned a transfer to Västerås SK and latterly IF Elfsborg where he has been since the summer of 2021. Another temporary loan spell, this time at Degerfors IF, yielded an impressive three goals in 14 appearances last year.

So far this season, he has been a regular starter for Elfsborg under the management of Jimmy Thelin, chipping in with two goals in 15 appearances.

Is Lagerbielke close to joining Celtic?

It appears a permanent deal is still some way off at present, with Elfsborg sporting director Stefan Andreasson dismissing reports that anything has been finalised.

He told Fotbollskanalen: “We’ve had a dialogue in this case. There’s an interest, yes. But we’re not in negotiations. The club must move from interest to acting concretely. We’re not there right now. The trade-off is, as always, in the summer window. We have managed to have healthy conversations with our players.

“The most important thing is the club and the situation we are in. We’re always positive that players can go for the right price. Many players want to leave Sweden. So we have dialogues when there is a good time for it. Sometimes, when we don’t think the bid is good enough, we might say no, and then it might take a while and something better might come along.”

Lagerbielke has broken his silence on Celtic’s transfer interest in him, telling local media outlet bt.se: “It’s an honour. Reflecting on his career path to date, he added: “It’s an awsome journey and I’m very proud of it.”

What transfer fee will they pay IF Elfsborg?

IF Elfsborg value the player highly as one of the hottest emerging talents in Scandinavian football. With his contract not due to expire until December 2025, Celtic are understood to have tabled an offer in the region of £3million, which is currently being reviewed by the club.

How does Lagerbielke fit into Celtic’s starting XI?

Video footage would suggest Lagerbielke certainly looks to have all the right characteristics to become a success story at Celtic. He has been hailed as a “big talent” by one of his former coaches. Comfortable on the ball with both feet and possessing a good passing range, it would seem he could easily slot into the starting line-up with a mimumim of fuss.

As things stand, He would be competing against Maik Nawrocki, Yuki Kobayashi, Liam Scales and Stephen Welsh to partner number one centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers in the team.

Who have Celtic signed and sold so far this summer?

Celtic transfer activity during the 23/24 summer transfer window so far:

Players signed:

• Maik Nawrocki - defender, from Legia Warsaw (€5 million)
• Odin Thiago Holm - midfielder, from Valerenga (€3 million)
• Yang Hyun-jun - winger, from Gangwon FC (€2.5 million)
• Marco Tilio- winger, from Melbourne City (€1.75 million)
• Kwon Hyeok-kyu - midfielder, from Busan IPark (€1 million)
• Tomoki Iwata - midfielder, loan made permanent from Yokohama F. Marinos (€960k)

Players departed:

• Jota - winger, to Al-Ittihad (€29.1 million)
• Conor Hazard - goalkeeper, to Plymouth Argyle (€175k)
• Vasilis Barkas - goalkeeper, to FC Utrecht (free transfer)
• Osaze Urhoghide - defender, to Amiens SC (fee undisclosed)
• Liam Shaw - midfielder, to Wigan Athletic (loan deal)
• Adam Montgomery - defender, to Fleetwood Town (loan deal
• Aaron Mooy - midfielder (retired)

*All data supplied via Transfermarkt