David Turnbull: Celtic move for football reasons, says manager Neil Lennon
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Neil Lennon says it's 'quite a coup' David Turnbull has chosen to join Celtic over Norwich City
David Turnbull has chosen to join Celtic rather than Norwich City for "footballing reasons, not financial", says manager Neil Lennon.
The 19-year-old midfielder will complete his move from Motherwell, pending a Friday medical.
He will sign a four-year-deal, with the Fir Park club receiving a £3.25m fee.
"He sees Celtic as a great pathway for him to progress in his career," said Lennon. "He's a very good Scottish talent that we want to nurture."
Turnbull travelled to Norwich this week after initial contract talks with Celtic stalled.
"Some deals are quicker than others," added Lennon. "David had options that he was quite right to pursue. Thankfully, he's chosen us, which is quite a coup. He's chosen us over Norwich for footballing reasons, not financial, trust me on that.
"He's a player we've admired for a while. He had a great breakthrough season.
"He's an elegant player, technically he's very good, proficient with both feet and he scored 15 goals in 30 games, which is quite a return for a midfielder.
"Could he go straight into the team? Of course he could. It's good to get one over the line and hopefully there are more (signings) to come."
'We are looking in three or four areas'
Lennon aims to have more new faces in his squad for the club's pre-season training camp in Austria and Switzerland next week.
Nick Hammond, previously director of football at Reading and technical director at West Bromwich Albion, is joining Celtic on a temporary basis from 1 July to assist with the recruitment process.
"He's having a look at us and we'll have a look at him," said Lennon. "Nicky is very experienced. He has an impeccable reputation and his contacts are impeccable.
"We have a wage structure, so it's important we don't over egg things. We want to find quality, we want to try and find them early.
"We are looking in three or four areas and I think we are someway down the line on a number of options for each position."
Lennon also confirmed there has been "interest" in some of his current players but no bids have been received.