Alvyn Sanches scored six goals in 27 games for Lausanne last season (Image: Getty)
Celtic are interested in FC Lausanne-Sport midfielder Alvyn Sanches but the Scottish giants will not get a free run at the Swiss youngster. Clubs from the Championship and on the continent are also tracking the 21-year-old, whose impressive individual season has caught the eye in various parts of Europe.
Born in France but capped for Switzerland at youth level, Sanches has been on Lausanne's books for over a decade. Although the team struggled in the Swiss Super League last season, he notched six goals in 27 appearances from the middle of the park.
Express Sport understands that Celtic sent scouts to assess Sanches at various points in 2023/24, and the reigning Scottish Premiership champions retain an interest heading into the summer transfer window.
Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers is understood to be impressed with Sanches, who is expected to leave Lausanne over the coming weeks. However, any prospective move will hinge on whether the Swiss club's £4.3million asking price is met.
And Celtic aren't the only club weighing up whether to test Lausanne's resolve. Championship sides Stoke City and Coventry City have both been keeping a close eye on Sanches' situation, as well as teams in Germany, France and the Netherlands.
Technical and tenacious with an eye for a goal, Sanches has already banked almost 100 senior games since making his Lausanne debut only three months after his 18th birthday, and he is rated as one of the most exciting young talents in Swiss football.
Brendan Rodgers could welcome Alvyn Sanches to Celtic this summer (Image: Getty)
FC Lausanne-Sport is owned by INEOS - the company, spearheaded by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, which holds a controlling stake in Ligue 1 side OGC Nice and bought a minority stake in Manchester United earlier this year.
It remains to be seen whether fellow midfielder Paulo Bernardo's future impacts Celtic's pursuit of Sanches. Bernardo spent last season on loan at Celtic Park and there are reportedly talks over a permanent move.
Rodgers is also scouring the summer market for a new goalkeeper. Joe Hart had been Celtic's first-choice stopper for the past three seasons before he hung up his gloves last month.
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Bayern Munich's Daniel Peretz is reportedly a target to fill the vacancy left by Hart. Signed by the German juggernauts last summer, Peretz has struggled to make an impact in the first team and only made two appearances in the whole of last term.
Celtic can look to capitalise on their pulling power this summer after winning the Premiership title and beating bitter rivals Rangers in the Scottish Cup final to complete an impressive double.
