Celtic may make move for U.S. keeper Cervi

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By Liam Black, Special to SI.com, Goal.com

According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic is now 48 hours away from signing American goalkeeper Dominic Cervi, a player it took on trial in April.

After a successful college career, Cervi rejected the chance to join the Chicago Fire after being selected in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. A trial with Portsmouth and a three-week training stint with Celtic followed as the 6-foot-6 goalie looked towards Europe this summer.

Cervi impressed in the Toulon U-21 Tournament, went to the Olympics with the U.S. Under-23 squad and is also on the fringes of the senior national side.

Gordon Strachan has long sought a keeper to put genuine pressure on No. 1 Artur Boruc, with Mark Brown no more than an understudy. In highly rated Cervi, he may have found his man.

The 22-year-old Cervi can still join the Hoops as a free agent, but his Italian great-grandparents hold the key to his European dream. A passport application has apparently been working its way through the system.

The player said in April: "I trained with Celtic for about three weeks. I must have done OK in their eyes -- they said they liked what they saw."

Now, reports suggest that Cervi attended the 4-0 League Cup win over Livingston on Tuesday evening and has been back in training with the Bhoys at Lennoxtown.

First-choice Boruc has been erratic between the sticks as his turbulent personal life has started to impact his career. A fresh injection of enthusiasm could be a good solution for the Hoops.