According to the Football Insider, former Exeter City shot-stopper Viljami Sinisalo is set to leave Aston Villa to join Scottish giants Celtic.
The 22-year-old Finnish international spent last season on loan at the Grecians, where he made 50 appearances in all competitions, only missing one league game throughout the whole campaign. He quickly became a fan-favourite at St James Park, keeping 13 clean sheets in total in League One.
His performances in the third tier have gained plenty of attention and although he may still be a bit of a way off of the first team at the now Champions League side, a move elsewhere this summer would not be out of question.
Sinisalo is now set for a new chapter, after returning to Villa from his loan spell. He is set to move to the green side of Glasgow, as Celtic look to replace ex-Manchester City, West Ham United and Burnley goalkeeper Joe Hart, who retired following the end of the 2023/24 season. Hart made over 150 appearances in white and green, proving to be a reliable set of hands in the three years he was with the Scottish giants.
According to FootballScotland, the price for the Finnish international is around £1 million, with the player reportedly set to sign a five-year deal at Celtic Park.
Also according to the Football Insider, Celtic are close to signing former Leicester City goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel, who is set to be having his medical within the next few days. The Scottish champions are also in negotiations with Norwich City over the permanent signing of Adam Idah, who spent the latter stages of the 2023/24 season on loan with the club and excelled during his stay.
Both goalkeepers are set to link up with the rest of the squad, who are currently in the USA this week as part of their pre-season tour
Meanwhile, Exeter have replaced Sinisalo with Crystal Palace U21s youngster, Joe Whitworth, as they look to push on in League One under Gary Caldwell after a strong 13th place finish last term.
Writer’s View
Sinisalo deserves his big move after such an impressive season in Devon with Exeter. Although his future was never at St James Park, it proved to be a great stay which helped both his progression as well as the Grecians’.
From a Celtic perspective, £1 million for Sinisalo is an absolute bargain. Although he may not get to make his impact at the club straight away with Premier League-winning goalkeeper Schmeichel linking back up with current manager Brendan Rodgers, the view will be to keep Sinisalo as a future number one option between the sticks. The five-year contract also shows Celtic’s belief in the 22-year-old.