Celtic are definitely interested in signing young Gremio midfielder Fernando Henrique, confirms Matheus D'Avila (via Portal do Gremista).

The lowdown

Henrique is predominantly a central midfielder but he can also play in a more defensive or attacking role.

The £810,000-rated 20-year-old still has three years to run on his contract at Gremio (via Transfermarkt).

But he appears to have fallen out of favour at the club, with his most recent action coming in the Copa do Brasil clash with Flamengo back in mid-September.

As an indicator of his playing style, Henrique has been compared to Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti by The Daily Record's Gabriel McKay.

The latest

The report from Porto Alegre states that Celtic are indeed keen on Henrique, as recent reports have claimed, who's looking poised to leave Gremio at the end of the season.

The club regard him as a 'future talent', but he's not been able to produce his 'best football' and so will be allowed to leave.

There's no firm offer on the table from Glasgow just yet, but he's an active target for the Hoops.

The verdict

It seems that Henrique is a promising starlet who's lost his way a little, and maybe Celtic feel that they can unlock his potential.

Given that the Brazilian season ends in December, a January move might well be logical.

It's been reported that Celtic are after two midfielders in the mid-season window, and perhaps Henrique, who may well cost less than £1million going by his reported market value, is a suitable candidate.

In other news, Celtic have been dealt a blow ahead of the semifinal.