Nathaniel Adjei profiled as Celtic and Rangers join EFL Championship clubs in £3m transfer pursuit

Rangers and Celtic have been linked with a January move for rising Hammarby star Nathaniel Adjei - but face stiff competition for his signature from a trio of EFL Championship clubs.

According to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, the Ghanaian defender is a man in demand with Preston North End, Sunderland and Middlesbrough also holding a strong interest in the talented 21-year-old.

It was suggested that Preston are currently ’making the biggest push’ and are ‘in talks’ over a loan deal to sign the blossoming centre-back with a view to making the switch permanent. However, the Glasgow giants have also entered the race for Adjei’s signature.

Sky Sports claimed that the Ibrox side had a scout present to watch him in action last month, while Celtic are also believed to be ‘monitoring’ the player’s situation. If the rumours are true, both club would need to be prepared to stump up the reported £3million asking price set by the Swedish top-flight outfit.

GlasgowWorld takes a look at what both Glasgow clubs could be getting, should any transfer pursuit result in a successful capture...

Who is Nathaniel Adjei? What position does he play?

Adjei is an imposing 6ft2’ centre-back. He is naturally right-footed and has also played at right-back for his current club.

What is Adjei’s career background?

Adjei started playing youth football with local club Danbort at the age of 13, based in the south-east region in Ghana who competed in Division One League - the country’s second tier. Having been promoted to their first-team, he was subsequently loaned out to Hammarby TFF, which is the development side of Hammarby and plays in the third tier of Swedish football.

He has a combined six caps for Ghana’s under-20 and under-23 level. He was vice captain of Ghana’s under-17’s team, and was called up to the under-20 squad at just 16-years-old for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

How has Adjei fared in senior level football?

Adjei is enjoying an impressive breakthrough season after completing a permanent move from Danbort by agreeing a four-and-a-half year contract last summer. Having made his senior debut in a 1-1 draw against Aberdeen’s recent Europa League play-off conquerors BK Hacken under newly-appointed QPR boss Marti Cifuentes, Adjei has helped Hammarby reach sixth place in the Allsvenskan table after 29 games.

Now an established first-team starter who has been deployed in a three-back system, Adjei has played in all but nine league games to date, as well as in both of the club’s UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers against Dutch outfit FC Twente.

When included in the starting XI, Hammarby have only lost three games, compared to five without. He has made 25 appearances in the league and cup this season, registering eight clean sheets and one goal.

What has been said about his future?

Marti Cifuentes is predicting a bright future for the fast-rising Adjei, who is believed to have ‘excelled’ in every position across of Hammarby IF’s backline since breaking into the first-team. Cifuentes admitted in August: “He will develop into a top-notch defender, in my opinion. We know the talent we have on our hands, because he has displayed glimpses of being a top-notch football player.”

What is the current transfer situation?

The battle for Adjei is not solely limited to Celtic and Rangers. Clubs in the Belgium and Italy are similarly keeping tabs on the defender. Hammarby’s season ends against Halmstad this week (Sunday, November 12) and that will allow plenty of time for Adjei to make any decision on his future.