RONNY DEILA, the Celtic manager, believes it would be the "best situation" for Gary Mackay-Steven to move from Dundee United this month but will wait until the summer to get him if necessary.
Deila revealed that Celtic have made a formal offer to sign the winger on a pre-contract agreement but has not given up adding him to his squad this month as Celtic pursue honours on four fronts in the second half of the campaign. Sheffield United have also made known their interest in Mackay-Steven but it's thought the player is not keen on playing in League One in England.
United have set the January asking price at £250,000 for the 24 year-old who has made clear his intention to leave Tannadice when his contract expires, but Deila hoped having Mackay-Steven signed up on a pre-contract deal would help ease negotiations to sign him sooner.
"We will hopefully get that done," said the Norwegian. "We have sent a letter to Dundee United saying we want to look at him. That's where it stands. We'll see if he will sign for him from the summer.
"[Signing him this month] is the best situation but again it's about money. It has to be between the two clubs. First of all we have to get him to sign and then we'll take it from there.
"I think [if he signs a pre-contract agreement first] that's the way you have to do it. If you don't know if the players wants [to sign] then it's harder to agree [a fee] between the clubs. When you have the opportunity you go for the player and see what can be arranged. We will see. Hopefully in a couple of days, something will be arranged."
Deila revealed that he first became aware of Mackay-Steven in Celtic's 6-1 victory over United in August and believes he would substantially bolster Celtic's options in the wider areas of the pitch.
"Who are our quick wingers? We had [Aleksandar] Tonev, but he's been out for a while. Derk Boerrigter has been injured most of the time and James Forrest has also been out. The fast wingers, we haven't had them available.
"Also we need competition and when a player like Mackay-Steven is available we have to be on our toes and try to do it.
"[He first came to my attention] when we beat United 6-1 earlier in the season. I saw his penetrating runs and he was tricky.
"I also saw him against Aberdeen at the beginning of the season at Pittodrie when he scored a goal. He's a player I like, he's quick, can go in behind, go past people. He has a good understanding of the game and suits our style of playing."
Deila also felt Mackay-Steven could also use Celtic as a stepping stone en route to bigger things.
"Celtic sells itself because everyone knows about it. I think it's also a good step to go through, keep yourself in Scotland, do well here with Celtic and in Europe, then your chances will be even bigger. I think it's safer for him and it's safer for us. We want to be the best club to develop players and that's going to be a good thing for him as well."
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