West Bromwich Albion winger Oliver Burke has joined Scottish Premier League leaders Celtic on loan.
The 21-year-old, who has won nine caps for Scotland’s under-21s, has agreed to a deal with Brendan Rodgers’ side which will keep him at Celtic Park until the end of the season, subject to a medical.
Since signing from German side RB Leipzig for £15 million in 2017, making him Scotland’s most expensive player of all-time, Burke has struggled for first-team minutes at The Hawthorns.
Millwall were amongst the clubs reportedly interesting in signing Burke on loan, alongside Celtic and Burke’s former home at Nottingham Forest, where he spent 11 years at before leaving in 2016.
Burke has made just six appearances for Darren Moore’s Baggies this season, scoring once during a first-round Carabao Cup victory over Luton Town in August.
He has been capped five times at senior level for Scotland, but his struggles for minutes and form in the West Midlands has seen drop back down into Scot Gemmill’s 21s side.
The former Forest midfielder caught the attention of Bundesliga side Leipzig at the start of the 2016/17 season after scoring four goals in his opening five Sky Bet Championship matches, leading to a £13 million move to the east of Germany.
His time overseas was short-lived and whilst he did feature 25 times in the Bundesliga in his debut campaign, he started just five times.
In the following season, he made a substitute appearance in a 5-0 drubbing of Dorfmerkingen in the first round of the DFB Pokal, before returning to England with West Brom a fortnight later.
Burke will join up with Rodgers’ squad this week for their winter training camp in Dubai and he could make his debut for the Bhoys against Airdrieonians in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup in two weeks time.
