Juninho: Hoops move close

Juninho insists he is on the verge of completing his move to Celtic.

The Middlesbrough star underwent a medical yesterday and the fine details of his transfer still need some ironing out.

But the 31-year-old, who has slipped down the pecking order at the Riverside Stadium, admitted he was on the verge of penning a contract with the Bank of Scotland Premier League champions.

When asked if he had already signed for the Parkhead club, Juninho said: “Not yet. Nearly.”

The Brazil international was omitted from the Boro squad for the Barclays Premiership opener against Newcastle on Saturday to underline the fact that manager Steve McClaren had other plans for his campaign this season, which did not include Juninho.

Celtic executive director Peter Lawwell has already announced the board’s intention to back manager Martin O’Neill in his move for Juninho but conceded convincing the player to move to the SPL was the major obstacle to the deal.

However, O’Neill did have the lure of a guaranteed Champions League spot up his sleeve to tempt the playmaker north of the border.

Now Juninho is on the verge of making the move from Teesside once an outstanding matter is resolved.

A Celtic spokesman said: “He is still in discussions with the club and nothing has been signed yet.

“We have had very positive talks with the player and he had a medical. Hopefully, we will have some more news within the next 48 hours or so.”

Celtic have signed just one new player this summer, with the year-long loan arrival of Henri Camara from Wolves.

Juninho became a cult hero at Middlesbrough following his arrival in November 1995 for then manager Bryan Robson from Sao Paulo.

But, despite his undoubted talent, the Brazilian was unable to prevent the club being relegated from the English top flight in 1997.

Consequently, Juninho moved to Atletico Madrid that summer for £12m (€17.7m).

However, his stay in Spain became a nightmare as he spent loan periods at Boro, Vasco da Gama and Flamengo before returning to Teesside on a full-time basis for £6m (€8.85m) two years ago.