Celtic tempt Hedman north

Sweden goalkeeper Magnus Hedman is on the verge of signing for Scottish champions Celtic FC after five seasons south of the border with Coventry City FC.

Valuation met
Coventry, who were relegated from the FA Premiership in 2001, confirmed yesterday that they had accepted Celtic's offer for the 29-year-old after rebuffing what they deemed an inadequate bid from Spanish club RCD Espanyol for Hedman. The blond custodian then travelled to Glasgow where he agreed terms. Hedman will sign a four-year contract, subject to a medical, for an undisclosed fee tomorrow.

Champions League draw
Celtic, who were paired with FC Basel or MŠK Zilina in last Friday's UEFA Champions League third qualifying round draw, have been keen to recruit another goalkeeper to challenge current No1 and Scottish international Robert Douglas after Dmitri Kharine left the club in the summer.

World Cup appearances
Hedman made his full international debut in Sweden's 2-0 victory over Romania in 1997. His fine form was one of the key reasons why Sweden had the best defensive record in the qualifying rounds for the 2002 FIFA World Cup - conceding just three goals in ten games. He then featured in all four of Sweden's games in the Far East, although he failed to keep a clean sheet in any of them.

'Mr Bionic'
Affectionately nicknamed 'Mr Bionic' in his homeland, Hedman has made no secret of his desire to play top-flight football after Coventry's failure to win promotion back to the English Premiership. He revealed that international team-mates Johan Mjällby and Henrik Larsson, both of whose careers have flourished in Glasgow, were full of praise for Scottish life

'Fantastic to join'
"It feels fantastic to join Celtic," Hedman said. "I've had some good seasons at Coventry but joining Celtic is just a great challenge for me. They are big club who want to win things and they're also striving for success in the Champions League. Both Henrik and Johan have showed me that one can reach great heights as a footballer in Scotland."

'Fee agreed for Laursen'
Meanwhile, Celtic manager Martin O'Neill is closing in on Hibernian FC's Danish defender Ulrik Laursen ahead of the new season which starts on Saturday against Dunfermline Athletic FC. "The club has agreed a fee with Hibs for Ulrik Laursen," O'Neill said.