Aberdeen have completed a deal to take Ryan Christie on loan from Celtic until the end of the season.
Record Sport understands the 21-year-old will head north in the next 24 hours and be thrown straight into Derek McInnes’ first team plans for the Friday night showdown with Dundee at Pittodrie.
McInnes is also hoping to tie up a similar deal with Preston to land former St Johnstone striker Stevie May for the rest of the campaign.
But, while he is still waiting for a final decision to be made over the immediate future of the striker, McInnes has moved quickly to get Christie tied up until the summer.
We understand the paperwork is currently being processed in order to have Christie’s move rubber-stamped and an announcement is expected in the morning.
Christie has spent the last 12 months attempting to force his way into Celtic’s first team plans but was largely overlooked by former boss Ronny Deila.
(Photo: Action Images via Reuters)
He has made only three starts since Brendan Rodgers took over in the hotseat and now the Northern Irishman believes his development will be best served with a short term stint at Pittodrie where he is likely to have a better chance of picking up first team experience.
A source close to the deal said: “Derek McInnes is delighted to be bringing in a player of such quality and Brendan Rodgers also sees the benefit of allowing Ryan to get out on loan and get some games under his belt.
“It’s a win, win for both clubs, especially with Aberdeen locked in a battle with Rangers for second place in the league.”