Celtic sign Barcelona defender Alex Valle on loan

Celtic has secured a loan deal, signing Barcelona defender Alex Valle. The 20-year-old becomes Celtic’s third new signing this summer, with the transfer window set to close at 11 pm on Friday.

Celtic sign Barcelona defender Alex Valle on a season-long loan from Barcelona.

The highly rated 20-year-old, who spent last season on loan with Levante, signed a new deal at Barca before completing his move to the Scottish champions.

The Hoops sold Matt O’Riley to Brighton for a Scottish transfer record this week and manager Brendan Rodgers has vowed to make more signings ahead of Friday’s 11 pm transfer deadline.

Valle, who played 29 times in the Spanish second tier last season, will provide competition for Greg Taylor.

“I’m very excited, it’s a great opportunity to come to this historic club,” Valle said.

“They have given me a lot of confidence to come here, so I will try to do my best to return the confidence.

“I’ve heard a lot about the fans and what we can experience in this stadium, so I’m just excited to see it in real life.

“The manager [Brendan Rodgers] gave me a lot of confidence to come here. He told me that he has watched some games in Barca and Levante, so I’m really happy to be here and looking forward to training with the team.

“I would say this way of playing is the best for my style and for what I like. I’ve been learning it in the Barca academy, so I’m looking forward to playing.”

Rodgers added: “We’re delighted to have landed Alex on this season-long loan as we continue to strengthen the squad for the season ahead.

“His footballing style will complement our attacking play as well as give us more options in our backline.

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“Alex has been brought up in a real high-quality footballing environment learning all the good habits and skills associated with any top team. He is a player with some tremendous attributes.

“He has performed well for Levante last season, been around Barcelona’s first team this year already and he is a welcome and quality addition to our squad.”