Celtic To Compete With West Brom For JOSEPH AKPALA

There is concrete interest from the United Kingdom for the Club Brugge forward Joseph Akpala. The ex Bendel Insurance star has an expiring contract with the blue army next summer, and is available at a bargain price of 2.5 million euros.

As revealed by Wednesday's edition of Belgium's influential daily newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, Akpala is being sought by West Brom and Celtic - two clubs that have Nigerians on their payroll- Peter Odemwingie and Rabiu Ibrahim respectively.

The 25-year-old Nigeria international now has a Belgian Passport, and will  not count as a non-EU player. Frozen out of the Nigeria selection for the past year, Akpala's new status has made him escape the strict foreign quota rule in Britain.

Joseph Akpala had an outstanding season for Club Brugge, finishing as top scorer with 22 strikes in all competitions. He was also nominated for the Ebony Golden Shoe award.