Celtic move for Stefan Scepovic collapses

Celtic's move for Serbian striker Stefan Scepovic has collapsed following reports in Spain that he has agreed terms with Getafe.

The Hoops were understood to be on the verge of signing the 24-year-old last night, having agreed a fee with Sporting Gijon and conducted a medical.

However, chief executive Peter Lawwell has since revealed that Scepovic has performed a U-turn, leaving Celtic looking for a replacement on deadline day.

"Last night we were told he didn't want to come, he had changed his mind, which was extremely disappointing," Lawwell told Sky Sports News.

"We spent a lot of time on it. We'd agreed with the club and himself. We were just at the point of signing the contract, he'd got his work permit, he'd gone to Paris on Friday to have an appointment with the embassy, which went well. The plan was he was going to go back and pick it up today.

"He passed his medical on Saturday. I spoke to him on his way back from his medical on Saturday afternoon and everything was fine. So we were bitterly disappointed and we don't understand it. We have other options but it's 24 hours and it's not ideal. We're working on a couple of things so we will need to wait and see."

Scepovic has scored one goal in eight appearances for the Serbian national team.