Ramon Vega reckons Celtic can bag another midfield prodigy if they follow through with their transfer interest in Swiss midfielder Alvyn Sanches.

The 21-year-old Lausanne midfielder has been touted as a potential replacement for Danish star Matt O'Riley before the August 30 deadline. The Scottish champions have stood firm so far and are believed to be holding out for a fee north of £25 million for prize asset O'Riley.

Vega insists that if Sanches were to opt for a move to Glasgow's east end then Celtic could well be looking at the next player to net the club between £20-25 million. Brendan Rodgers has already sent scouts to assess Sanches last season and who Lausanne value in the £4.5 million bracket.

Sanches has played over 100 first-team games for Lausanne and scored six goals in 27 appearances last season as he helped the Swiss side stave off relegation. He is rated as one of the hottest and most exciting young talents in Swiss football and is attracting interest from English Championship sides Stoke City and Coventry City. French side Nice as well as Belgian outfits Club Brugge and Anderlecht are also monitoring the player's situation.

Vega, a treble-winner with Martin O'Neill's men in 2001, believes that Sanches fits Celtic's player model perfectly. The 53-year-old urged the club to purchase the talent - who has been labelled 'technical and tenacious' - now because the men in green and white will reap the benefits further down the line as Sanches like O'Riley would prove his worth.

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Vega said: "Alvyn Sanches is a good prospect, especially for a club like Celtic. He is a great talent. I have read that Celtic are in the market for a Matt O'Riley replacement. To fill that void will be very difficult. If Celtic signed Sanches now then he could make them a lot of money in resell value in two to three years.

"If Sanches signed for Celtic now and he did well, I could see him becoming Celtic's next £20 to £25 million-plus player just like O'Riley.  If he signs for a club like Celtic and plays the way I think he can play then within two years he would be a minimum £20 million player.

"Everybody is talking about Sanches in Switzerland. He is a player that Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers could get to work with and help him progress and develop his game. Brendan is the right type of manager for him in his career at this stage to help him improve his levels.

"He is an exciting prospect and he has played over 100 games for Lausanne and has amassed some great experience. To have played that many games in any league says a lot about your character. Celtic is a massive club and Sanches reaction to being taken out of his comfort zone both physically and mentally would be the only thing he would have to worry about. Scottish football is very physical and he would soon find that out for himself. His mindset would have to be in a good place.

"Does he have talent? Of course, he has talent. He has been described as technical and tenacious which is true as his technical ability is very high. The Swiss Federation didn't hang about as he was born in France but they offered him an international football pathway at a very early age and he declared for Switzerland. That shows you how highly they rated him. The Swiss coaches are very good at spotting young technical talent as you can see if you have a look at the current Switzerland national team set-up.

"This is a good young player with a great future ahead of him and he suits Celtic's player-trading model down to the ground. It is the right time for Celtic to sign a player like Sanches. Celtic's balance sheet is cash-positive right now because of the way the club has conducted their business in recent years when it comes to buying and selling players. Sanches certainly ticks the box for Celtic to sign now and sell on for a vast profit in the future."

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The former Tottenham and Watford central defender revealed that if he was Sanches's agent and Celtic came calling he would not hesitate to recommend a move to Scotland. The 23-times-capped Swiss stopper said: "Celtic is a great club to enhance your career, especially if you deliver. It helps you in terms of confidence levels as you develop some great habits at the club and you are part of a dressing room environment that is built on winning.

"Everybody knows about the club in terms of history and the fanbase as Celtic are such a big club. Celtic are so well run and are in such a strong position that they can attract young talented players like Sanches to the club now. If I was advising Sanches, I would tell him that Celtic is a viable proposition as they have so much to offer.

"If any young player wanted to have an unbelievable experience on their CV and develop their career then I would tell them to run to Scotland and sign for Celtic. My words would be 'Don't even think about it!'

"There is no better platform to make a proper name for yourself in the game as Celtic is one of the best football clubs to join at every level and they would not regret it."