Celtic’s summer hunt for Hearts striker aims to erase transfer woes

Celtic are planning a summer move to sign the high‑profile Hearts striker, a deal that could decimate the club’s transfer disappointments after Kelechi Iheanacho’s departure left a void in attack. The 26‑year‑old Portuguese centre‑forward Claudio Braga has impressed in Scotland and is seen as the ideal replacement.

Claudio Braga, a Portuguese forward, progressed through the academies of Candal, Boavista, Paços de Ferreira and Rio Ave before earning a regular role with Rio Ave’s reserves. He later played for Valadares Gaia, Fátima, Sporting Ideal and Vila Meã in Portugal’s lower leagues, then moved to Norway where his scoring helped Moss FK win promotion to the second division.

Aalesunds FK signed Braga in 2024 after relegation from the Eliteserien and sanctioned a €520k transfer to Hearts one‑and‑a‑half years later. At Hearts he recorded 17 goals and six assists in 44 appearances and collected the BBC Football Awards Scottish Premiership Player of the Year, the Scottish Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year and the William Hill Premiership Player of the Year for the 2025‑26 season.

A recent transfer update from Pete O’Rourke suggests Celtic are keeping close tabs on Braga ahead of a potential summer move, with the club’s scouting network flagging him as a priority target as the window progresses.

Celtic are currently facing a fans’ protest amid a slow window and have already added Camilo Durán from Qarabağ. Daizen Maeda’s likely exit would leave a massive void, and Kelechi Iheanacho rejected Celtic’s offer to join Turkish side Bursaspor.

A fee of around £5m should be enough to secure Braga, though Hearts could ask £8m‑£10m. Lyon have also shown interest, while Rangers have already raided Celtic’s squad twice, signing Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland.

Braga’s strong aerial ability, exquisite passing range and swift movement high up the pitch would inject fluidity into Celtic’s attack, often outperforming his expected‑goals metric. Celtic will monitor the situation closely as the summer window unfolds, hoping the arrival will finally erase their transfer disappointments.