John Hartson believes former club Celtic will have pulled off a major coup if they manage to seal a deal for Nadir Ciftci.

The striker is currently in talks with the Bhoys after his current employees Dundee United confirmed on Tuesday that they had accepted an offer for the player.

With just one-year left on his contract, Ciftci appeared unlikely to agree fresh terms at Tannadice and, after scoring 33 goals in two seasons in Scotland, had been tipped to move on.

Celtic, who are the 1.03 favourites to retain the title, are now set to swoop as Ronny Deila looks for a replacement for John Guidetti following the expiry of the Swede’s loan deal.

Hartson enjoyed a strong spell at Parkhead between 2001 and 2006, netting at a rate of a goal every other game as he won three Scottish Premier Leagues, as well as reaching the final of the UEFA Cup in 2003.

The Welshman says Ciftci is perfect for his former club and believes they will have got themselves a real bargain if the deal for the 23-year-old goes through.

“Nadir Ciftci ticks all the boxes of what I want to see in a centre forward,” Hartson told the Scottish Sun. “Truth be told, he reminds me of me. Back in the day I liked to think I could mix it with the best – and for me Ciftci is cut from the same cloth.

“Only time will tell whether or not he’s good enough to score 25 goals a season at my old club. He’ll certainly get more chances at Celtic than he did at Dundee United. But at £1.5million for a 23-year-old old Celtic have got themselves an absolute snip.”