Celtic are advancing negotiations with Wilfried Nancy, the Columbus Crew manager, as they move closer to appointing him as Brendan Rodgers’ successor. The Scottish champions notified the MLS club on Friday of their plans, with compensation not expected to be an issue.
Nancy, who is keen on the move, is viewed as an ideal fit for Celtic’s model — a progressive coach open to working within their transfer structure. The club hope to have him in place before next weekend’s trip to St Mirren, ending Martin O’Neill’s brief caretaker spell.
Rodgers’ second spell at Celtic ended in late October amid tension with major shareholder Dermot Desmond, who has since backed Nancy’s candidacy.
Previously with Montreal, Nancy guided Columbus Crew to seventh in the MLS Eastern Conference before a playoff exit to FC Cincinnati.
While Kieran McKenna of Ipswich and Kjetil Knutsen of Bodø/Glimt were also linked, Celtic’s head of football operations, Paul Tisdale, has identified Nancy as his top choice for the role.
