Celtic are set to miss out on the signing of Maccabi Haifa’s Mohammad Abu Fani, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Hoops scout Abu Fani

The Hoops have been on the lookout for a new midfielder for the majority of the window to fill the void left by Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton, and the 24-year-old had previously been identified as a serious transfer target.

Reports even claimed that the Scottish Premiership side sent out scouts to watch the Israel international in action, but it sounds like any potential move to Glasgow is off after news of a swap deal has come to light.

The Latest: Celtic to miss out on Abu Fani

Sport 5 (via The Daily Record) state that Abu Fani now looks ‘set to join’ one of his country’s rivals in a ‘blockbuster’ exchange which would see two players moving in opposite directions.

The 5 foot 6 star is likely to be ‘on the way’ to Hapoel Beer-Sheva, who are ‘open to swapping’ Hatem Elhamed for the Bhoys target.

It’s confirmed again that Hoops had been ‘heavily linked’ with the wizard as Ange Postecoglou ‘searches for a midfield enforcer’, though they are now set to miss out.

The Verdict: Blow for Celtic

Celtic failing to land Abu Fani is a setback, and it's a real concern that the Australian boss still hasn’t been able to capture a new midfielder with just a week of the transfer window remaining.

The 14-cap gem, dubbed ‘a thing of beauty’ by BBC journalist Sanny Rudravajhala, made 12 goal contributions in all competitions for Maccabi last season, showing how much of a creative impact he can have.

The Parkhead outfit have signed Aaron Mooy but he doesn’t naturally play in a defensive position, so Celtic now need to re-enter the market and find a suitable Bitton replacement, perhaps the recently linked Jani Atanasov.