[ad_1]
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers looks to have identified a priority target ahead of the January window opening and the Irishman is believed to have pressed ahead in his pursuit of the man in question.
Celtic transfer updates…
As expected, Celtic have made a solid impression in the Scottish Premiership so far this campaign, claiming an impressive 35 points from 39 available in their opening 13 league fixtures.
Nevertheless, Hoops boss Rodgers signalled in the summer that he wasn’t entirely happy with his side’s transfer business, as he stated via Sky Sports when asked about Celtic’s last window: “I think if you ask any manager they will always be wanting more, of course. But we work with the players that are here. I’m not saying that in any disrespectful way, I think every manager will tell you they maybe wished they could have done one or two more signings.”
With the mid-season window drawing ever closer, Celtic have already started to make inroads in the market as they look to retain their Scottish Premiership crown. Recent reports have suggested that Nurnberg attacker Kanji Okunuki is one man on the radar at Parkhead and detail that the Hoops have scouted the 24-year-old extensively.
Motherwell youngster Lennon Miller is also believed to be in the sights of the Glasgow giants; however, they will face competition from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, West Ham United and Rangers to land the Scotland Under-19 international.
Now, a fresh report has emerged detailing that Celtic are believed to have made inroads to bring in a striker who has existing ties to the club.
Celtic make enquiries for Sydney van Hooijdonk
According to reports in Italy, via The Daily Record, Celtic have made enquiries about Bologna striker Sydney van Hooijdonk, who is free to leave the Serie A outfit on loan in January.
Sydney van Hooijdonk statistics in 2023/24 – all competitions (Transfermarkt) |
|
Appearances |
6 |
Goals |
1 |
Assists |
0 |
The outlet claim that the 23-year-old’s agent is now looking into potential destinations for his client and Celtic have now made their interest known in the towering forward, who is the son of former Hoops icon Pierre van Hooijdonk. Kyogo Furuhashi and Oh Hyeon-gyu could be involved in Asian Cup action come January, leaving Celtic boss Rodgers with a sparsity of options in the final third.
Standing at 6 foot 3, Van Hooijdonk has only featured in 131 minutes of action across all competitions for Bologna this season, but has an impressive scoring record throughout his career, notching 92 goals and eight assists in 192 outings (Van Hooijdonk statistics – Transfermarkt). In conversation with Corriere dello Sport, cited via The Scottish Sun, the Netherlands Under-21 cap refused to rule out an exit from Bologna come January.
He stated: “In football, things can change quickly. There are two months left until January and who knows what will happen? Now, there is Joshua (Zirkzee) who is playing a great season. Do the rumours about my possible transfer bother me? It’s normal when you don’t play. In the last year-and-a-half, I’ve played a lot and also scored a lot. In my opinion, Bologna isn’t the same as when I came here two years ago. Everything has improved. The level…everything. We’ll see what happens.”
So, Celtic are in the market for a striker and Van Hooijdonk is said to be on the lookout for a new club, making the situation one to watch as the transfer window draws closer.
[ad_2]
Source link