CELTIC are closing the net on the man they want to add to their squad ahead of tomorrow night’s deadline for the Champions League qualifiers against Elfsborg.

But Neil Lennon is also fighting furiously to hold on to Kelvin Wilson after Nottingham Forest returned with a second bid for the defender.

Ajax’s 26-year-old winger, Derk Boerrigter, has emerged as the player the Hoops boss wants to bring in to add options on the left side of his team. He will cost around £2million, and, at 6ft 2ins, fits the bill of a wide player with height, pace and a goal threat.

Celtic chief executive, Peter Lawwell, was in Amsterdam at the end of last week when a deal with Ajax was agreed.

Boerrigter is due to undergo a medical in Glasgow today. Along with his agent, Soren Lerby, they hope to finalise negotiations for a three-year contract, with Celtic having a further year’s option.

If all goes according to plan, the winger, who was on Ajax’s youth programme before leaving to kick-start his career with Harlem, Zwolle and RKC Wollwijk before returning to Frank de Boer’s side in 2011 for £480,000, will become Lennon’s fourth signing in this transfer window.

Virgil van Dijk cost £2.6m when he arrived from Groningen, Amido Balde was a £2m purchase from Portuguese club, Vitoria Guimaraes, and Steven Mouyokolo joined as a free agent.

Celtic had to register their squad for the ties against Elfsborg on Wednesday and a week on Wednesday by last Thursday.

But they have until 11pm tomorrow to add one additional player for these third qualifying round ties.

Lennon was hoping he might be able to take up that place with a direct replacement for striker Gary Hooper, who joined Norwich for £5.2m on Friday. And the club are reported to have enquired about Heerenveen’s Icelandic hitman, Alfred Finnbogasson.

But, Boerrigter has now jumped into pole position to fill the slot in this week’s squad.

Despite the acute shortage of time to get to know his new team-mates, Lennon’s right-hand man, Garry Parker – in charge of the team when they lost 2-1 to Borussia Munchengladbach as the manager travelled to watch Elfsborg draw 1-1 with Atvidaberg – does not believe it would be a massive gamble to throw a new signing straight into such an important game.

“We will have to wait and see who it is,” he said, before joking: “Messi?

“There are a couple of players we have our eyes on who we would like, and we will see if they can go straight into the team. If they are good enough, then we will put them right in there.”

Since he returned to Ajax, Boerrigter has developed a reputation as a player with a real eye for goal. Back problems denied him the chance to win his first cap when he was called up to the Dutch squad two years ago.

And the last Dutch winger to star for Celtic, Bobby Petta, confirmed: “Boerrigter is a decent player who has done well for Ajax.”

Lennon is also working hard to ensure central defender Wilson sees out the remainder of his contract. Former club Nottingham Forest have already had an offer of £1.5m rejected by the Hoops.

But Forest boss Billy Davies refuses to give up and has launched another attempt to persuade Celtic to sell.

Meanwhile, reports Cardiff are trying to lure back Joe Ledley have been dismissed by sources at the Welsh club.