Luis Palma’s exit from Celtic is in jeopardy after FIFA’s intervention to slap Rayo Vallecano with a three-window transfer ban.
The La Liga club were believed to be closing in on a loan deal for the Honduras winger, with the option to sign him permanently for €2.5million (£2.1million) next summer. Palma scored 10 goals in all competitions in his debut season at Parkhead but has fallen down the pecking order under Brendan Rodgers at Parkhead and has only been used fleetingly in the current campaign.
But the 24-year-old heading for Vallecano could be in doubt – who along with fellow top-flight Spanish club Mallorca are among the list of clubs on FIFA’s website who have been imposed with transfer bans. The news is said to come as a complete shock to both clubs, with Spanish outlet Diez quoting a spokesperson from Vallecano saying: “This is the first information we have” during the their annual meeting of shareholders on Monday.
There is no shortage of interest in Palma, with Serie A Genoa, Olympiacos in Greece and clubs from the MLS also said to be keen on the player. He might not be the only Hoops player shown the door before the end of the month, with Oxford United hoping to land out of favour defender Maik Nawrocki while left back Alexandro Bernabei is poised to seal a permanent move to Brazilian outfit Internacional following a successful loan spell.
Rodgers opened up on Palma during his media conference earlier today. He said: “He’s a great guy, everyone loves him here. We love him. He’s a brilliant lad, works hard every day, trains every day and probably not getting the game time of what he would like.
“But again, we have to weigh everything up. Our first job is to look after our own squad, make sure that’s ready, and by the end of this month, set up for the challenges for the rest of the season. And if that allows some players to go out, then that can and may still happen. But at this moment in time, he’s here and a part of the squad.
“He’s here now. It was just something that happened overnight. And I could see, I sensed with him the feeling and then to sit on a coach three and a half hours going up north probably wasn’t going to be the best thing for him. So I just gave him the weekend, be with his family and then reset again after the weekend. So he’s come back in and it’s a sad time for him, losing both grandparents so close. But he’s ready to go again and will be part of the squad.”
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