Celtic door opens for £2.5m target, Rangers braced for unexpected exit, Hearts ‘really bad loan’ move – rumour mill

Celtic door opens for £2.5m target, Rangers braced for unexpected exit, Hearts ‘really bad loan’ move – rumour mill

The latest January transfer rumours and news headlines swirling around the Scottish Premiership this Tuesday lunchtime…

Celtic are reportedly interested in Rapid Vienna winger Nicolas Kuhn. (Photo by Carsten Harz/Getty Images)

Celtic departure confirmed

Celtic have confirmed the departure of Yose Ideguchi on a permanent transfer to J-League champions Vissel Kobe. The midfielder made just six appearances for the Scottish champions since his arrival from Gamba Osaka in January 2022. He spent last season on loan at Japanese side Avispa Fukuoka and was nominated for the J-League Player of the Year. This led Vissel Kobe, who won the J-League title last year, to make their move with a fee reported to be slightly more than the £850,000 Celtic paid for him 18 months ago. Ideguchi posted a farewell message to Celtic on Instagram which read: “I’ll never forget my memories of Glasgow. Thanks you for all of you. I’m cheering for you from Japan.”

Siegriest move collapses

Sign up to our Football newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Notice and Terms of Service apply.

Celtic’s third-choice goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist looks set to remain at Parkhead for the time being following the collapse of a proposed loan move to Sturm Graz. The 31-year-old Swiss stopper was reportedly close to joining the Austrian club and secure much-needed game-time after making just two League Cup appearances for Celtic since completing a move from Dundee United in 2022. But, according to the Daily Record, those plans have been scuppered, with Sturm Graz decided to turn their attentions to Liverpool’s Vitezlav Jaros instead.

Hearts ‘really bad loan’ move

Wigan manager Shaun Maloney has claimed that Steven Humphrys and Jordan Jones endured “really bad loans” at Hearts and Kilmarnock season. Maloney, who was sacked by Hibs last year after just three months in charge, was speaking ahead of his side’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United on Monday night. Addressing his team selection, he told ITV: “We do have talent in the final third. We’ve got [Martial] Godo on loan from Fulham. And the two players, Humphrys and Jones, they had really bad loans last year and they’ve come back like new players.” Humphrys scored five times for Hearts last season including an incredible strike from inside his own half, a derby strike against Hibs and a goal away to Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League, while Jones made just three goal contributions in 27 appearances on his return to Rugby Park. The duo returned to the DW Stadium in the summer and have become key players under Maloney this season.

Rangers braced for unexpected exit

Rangers could yet lose Cyriel Dessers to the Africa Cup of Nations amid reports that he has been placed on standby for a possible late call-up to the Nigeria squad. The Ibrox side appeared to have avoided the prospect of losing Dessers after he was left out of Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro’s final selection despite being named in the original preliminary squad. However, an injury to Bayer Leverkusen star Victor Boniface has ruled him out of the tournament and while Nice striker Terem Moffi is the preferred first-choice replacement, since the French side are under no obligation to release their player due to the request coming after the official deadline, Nigeria could yet turn to Dessers with reports in Africa stating the Rangers striker is next in line to go to the tournament if Nice don’t allow Moffi to go.

Celtic door opens for £2.5m target

Nicolas Kuhn could be closing in on a move to Celtic after a change of tune from Rapid Vienna. Initial reports suggested the Austrian Bundesliga outfit were not prepared to sell the German-born winger in January with sporting director Markus Katzer stating: “I assume that everyone will be with us in the second half of the season. I haven’t heard anything to the contrary.” However, he has now conceded that Rapid will listen to offers for the player amid reports of interest from Celtic and a possible £2.5m bid for the 24-year-old former Bayern Munich youth. Speaking to Sky Sports, Katzer admitted: “Every player has his price. If the offer is right, of course you have to deal with it.”

Doubts over Lagerbielke move

Celtic defender Gustaf Lagerbielke has emerged as a target for Serie A side Lecce but the Italians may struggle to finance a loan move for the Sweden international. Lagerbielke is only six months into a five-year deal at Celtic following his £3m summer move from Elfsborg, but will be allowed to leave in January having found first-team opportunities hard to come by. He has made just two substitute appearance since September, coming off the bench to net the winner against Feyenoord in the Champions League before appearing for the final 27 minutes of the 3-0 win over St Mirren on January 2. Lecce could be set to offer the 23-year-old a Parkhead escape route but, according to Corrier dello Sport, the club have concerns about being able to meet Celtic’s financial demands for a loan move.

SPFL starlet set for dream Man Utd transfer

Queen’s Park goalkeeper Callan McKenna could be set for a dream move to Manchester United. The 17-year-old has been linked with a big move since making an impressive breakthrough at the Spiders at the start of the season. According to the Daily Record, a move to Old Trafford could be on the cards with United said to be in ‘advanced talks’ over a six-figure deal for McKenna which could eventually rise to over £1m.

Celtic now in battle for “special” striker who “scares defenders” – report

It’s a repeat of the recent pursuit of Fabio Silva, with Rangers also in the mix.

At the end of last month, when it became clear that Wolves striker Fabio Silva was available on loan, Scottish Premiership contenders Celtic and Rangers battled it out for the signing. While it’s the Hoops who are top of the table of the moment, the Gers prevailed in this particular scrap, securing the services of Silva on loan until the end of the season.

However, attention at Parkhead now seems to have turned to another young striker, this time 21-year-old Leeds ace Joe Gelhardt. Gelhardt joined Leeds from Wigan in 2020, and spent the second half of last season on loan in the Championship with Sunderland.

He’s only made six second-tier appearances for the relegated Whites this season, with just two coming from the start. Partly due to injury, he’s been limited to a solitary league outing for Daniel Farke’s side since mid-September.

Celtic and Rangers fight for Gelhardt

Now, a report from The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones reveals that Celtic and Rangers are showing “interest” in Gelhardt, potentially setting up a repeat of their Silva duel. It’s unclear in the story whether the two clubs are eyeing a loan deal or a permanent move, but it should be noted either way that Gelhardt is under contract at Elland Road until the summer of 2027.

Leeds have previously told Gelhardt that he’ll be staying put,

with Farke unwilling to sanction even a temporary exit, but it remains to be seen whether that stance changes. Logic dictates that a young player struggling for minutes would benefit from regular first-team action elsewhere.

Gelhardt can strike fear into SPL defences

Former Leeds player Noel Whelan says Gelhardt possesses “something special” and “scares defenders”, and he’s been showing that since his days in the youth ranks. The Englishman bagged in 18 goals in 27 appearances at Premier League 2 level before graduating to senior football.

While he inevitably hasn’t been quite as explosive in the men’s game just yet, his numbers are still respectable. Last season, for instance, he provided six direct goal contributions in 18 league appearances for Sunderland, an average of one every 202 minutes, even though he was playing through injury, according to director Kristjaan Speakman.

In 2021/22, his last full season playing in the Premier League, he scored twice and set-up four more at an even better rate of a goal or assist every 122 minutes. This suggests he’s a player who can come up with big moments over the course of the season even when he’s occupying a reserve role.

At first, he’d be best suited to serving as an understudy for Kyogo Furuhashi, who’s Brendan Rodgers’ joint-top scorer right now with 10 goals, but maybe if he impressed in a loan spell, Celtic could think about trying to sign permanently and extract the full potential of a player who’s previously been called up to England’s under-21 side.

Still, they mustn’t get ahead of themselves. The first job is to convince Leeds to make him available, and the second is to persuade him to pick green and white over blue.

Transfer Latest – Jeong Ho-Yeon close to joining Celtic

Celtic are apparently close to expanding their Asian contingent in the January transfer window, with the speculation that they are chasing Jung Ho-Yeon…

The Gwangju FC star is edging closer to a move to European football and his manager, Lee Jung-Hyo, has recently stating that a move to the Scottish Premiership Champions was in the offing and advancing.

The midfielder won the K-League Young Player of the Year in his homeland after helping them to a third-place finish domestically. Highly-rated in South Korea, the engine room man is apparently a good tackler and could provide that something different in the middle of the park for the Hoops, which has been badly lacking for some time now.

The player himself has revealed that he is due to move this coming window to a European club and Celtic was named when asked directly about the speculation. As reported by Chosun, he said: “A move into into Europe is slowly getting closer. During the last season, scouts from some European clubs, including Celtic, came to see me play in person. If I could choose a league, I want to play in the Spanish Primera Liga. From an early age, I loved FC Barcelona’s style of football.”

If this one turns out to be true, it will have to be a success as the club can no longer afford to give players settling in time and grace periods. Yang Hyun-jun and Kwon Hyeok-kyu have both came to the Scottish club and neither have been at the level yet. Now, that’s not to say they cannot become good players in the future, but as it stands, Celtic have a backlog of players that we need to clear off the books permanently or develop elsewhere in the meantime.

Celtic hero Chris Sutton blasts SFA over ’embarrassing’ mic ruling

Celtic hero Chris Sutton has blasted the SFA for their decision to block Hibernian boss Nick Montgomery from being mic’d up during the Edinburgh derby, calling it “embarrassing”.

 The Easter Road manager had agreed to fans watching on Sky Sports at home to hear him throughout the fixture after Hibs agreed to a request from the broadcaster.

It would have been a first in Scottish football along with Montgomery’s assistant Sergio Raimundo wearing a body cam.

And Sutton, who provided live commentary for the game, did not hold back when giving his thoughts on the decision.

Get More Out of Your Computer with Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 DocksAdd up to three Thunderbolt 4 ports, plus other USB and display and network connectors.Tech Advisor

Writing on X, he said: “Nick Montgomery was open and happy to be mic’d up for tonight’s Edinburgh derby.

“It would have been fascinating to hear how he worked and his mindset ingame. But for whatever reason the SFA blocked it.

“The SFA are an embarrassment and stuck in the past. Dear me…”

READ MORE: Why Celtic’s Luis Palma is the club’s most dangerous player

Meanwhile, Celtic coach Harry Kewell is poised “to leave the club in the coming days”.

This is according to the Scottish Sun who claim that the Australian “edging closer to being appointed as the new Yokohama F. Marinos boss.”

Kewell did not travel with Brendan Rodgers’ side on Boxing Day as the Hoops defeated Dundee 3-0.

Reports in Australia  state that John Hutchinson, who worked with Ange Postecoglou at Marinos, is expected to be his No2.

Rodgers previously confirmed that he would not stand in the way of Kewell joining the former J1 League champions.

He said: “”Harry has already managed before, so it is not new to him. He has had a taste of it and I am always one that if staff members want to broaden their horizons then I am very encouraging of that.

“It is also a sign that you have talented people if other clubs want them.”

AND ALSO

Celtic ‘move forward’ in Prospect talks after summer scouting missions

The Celtic January transfer rumour mill has thrown the name of Wolverhampton Wanderers forward, Fabio Silva into the hat.

The 21-year-old was once a £35.6 million club-record transfer for Wolves, but now he is struggling to come off the bench for the bottom-half English Premier League side.

With Brendan Rodgers wanting attacking reinforcements next month at Celtic, the name of Fabio Silva has been mentioned, as reported by TEAMtalk.

Andy Walker has shared that in Brendan Rodgers’ first spell at Celtic, the one-time wonderkid was linked with the club, as he told Go Radio.

But given his struggles at Wolves, it now seems like he will be heading for the exit door in January.

Approach made: Celtic ask about move to sign “highly talented” £15M striker, they’ ve had a reply

The Scottish Premiership side are looking to bolster their attacking ranks in January.

Celtic have made an approach to ask about a deal to bring one of their long-term targets to the Scottish Premiership, according to a fresh report that has emerged.

Hoops eyeing Kvistgaarden

Ahead of January, Brendan Rodgers will be assessing his options in the market to see if there are any players he could strengthen his squad with. One recently identified is Brondby forward Mathias Kvistgaarden if claims are to be believed.

The Bhoys are reportedly preparing an improved offer for the striker having seen their opening bid turned down over the summer, but should a deal for him fail to come to fruition for whatever reason, the hierarchy appear to have alternative centre-forward targets.

Sturm Graz’s Szymon Wlodarczyk only put pen to paper at his club during the previous window from Gornik Zabrze where he’s so far made 28 appearances to date (Transfermarkt – Wlodarczyk statistics), but he was on the board’s radar long before his most recent move.

Back in January, Mark Hendry first claimed that Poland’s youth international was of interest to the green and white stripes, though a switch hasn’t yet taken place, hence why he moved elsewhere, and it still sounds like the 20-year-old won’t be making the trip to Glasgow anytime soon despite new efforts.

Celtic submit enquiry for Wlodarczyk

According to Football Scotland, Celtic have asked about signing Wlodarczyk again next month, but after learning his price tag in a response from Sturm Graz, have decided that they couldn’t afford to complete a deal in January.

“Football Scotland can also reveal Celtic reached out to Sturm Graz in an effort to revisit another former transfer target, Szymon Wlodarczyk, but were told his valuation has sky-rocketed to around £15m which would financially be out of their reach in January.”

Wlodarczyk is a “highly talented” striker

Since joining Sturm Graz, Wlodarczyk has racked up 11 contributions (nine goals and two assists) from 28 appearances, displaying how prolific he can be in the final third, and he’s able to pose a constant threat to the opposition’s defence in the attacking areas of the pitch.

Sponsored by Adidas, Walbrzych’s native has recorded 32 shots over the course of the current campaign which is more than any other of his fellow teammates, highlighting what a standout performer he is in front of the net compared to his peers (FBRef – Sturm Graz statistics).

Standing at 6 foot 2, Rodgers’ target is also able to provide a real physical presence up top with his height, with his ability to win aerial duels making him a real handful for any backline to deal with, alongside how dangerous he can be with the ball at his feet.

Described by football scout Jacek Kulig, Wlodarczyk is a “highly talented” player with an extremely bright future ahead of him, but with Celtic not set to splash the cash to get their long-term target in the coming weeks, it could prove to be a blow considering the positive impact that he may have been able to make.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter!

Chloe is an experienced football journalist and podcaster having worked in the sports media industry for the past three years.

Combining her love of the beautiful game with a passion for writing, Chloe started out creating and editing articles for Our MFC before going on to cover the Euro 2020 tournament with Overtime Sports Online.

In March 2022, Chloe was selected to join the academy team at Snack Media and later secured the role of freelance writer for The Transfer Tavern before moving over to the company’s flagship site, Football FanCast.

Chloe is also a huge Stoke City supporter having been a season ticket holder at the Bet365 Stadium for over a decade.

The Austalian was usually placid on the dugout at Celtic Park but showed his angry side

Ange Postecoglou was fuming with the Bournemouth bench

Ange Postecoglou cuts a routinely cool figure in the dugout as Tottenham just as he did at Celtic Park.

But earlier this afternoon, during his side’s 3-1 victory over Bournemouth in the Premier League, the Australian lost that cool in a touchline bust-up with the Cherries staff. Postecoglou was livid at the visitors in London after Alejo Véliz picked up a knock during the game. The striker remained on the deck and Bournemouth’s players seemingly played on, perhaps by advice from their coaches, and that left the 58-year-old raging and he made his feelings known.

Ange had to be held back by players on his own side as well as his coaching staff as he made a beeline towards Andoni Iraola’s dugout.

Todd Cantwell is Rangers pantomime villain and my painful Celtic reminder proves need for calm – Barry Ferguson

The former Ibrox captain and Record Sport columnist is licking his lips ahead of a mouthwatering showdown at Parkhead.

Rangers’ Todd Cantwell celebrates with James Tavernier (Image: SNS Group)

Todd Cantwell appears to have developed into the pantomime villain of Scottish football with fans of every team apart from Rangers lining up to give him abuse.

And there’s no doubt he’ll get it tight from 60,000 Celtic supporters at lunchtime on Saturday. It’s going to take real mental strength for the Rangers playmaker to block it out and concentrate on doing what he does best, which is bringing energy and creativity to a team that is thriving under Philippe Clement.

Look, I know it’s not easy and there have been times I’ve been unable to practice what I’m preaching. August 2000, Parkhead. 6-2 to Celtic and I’m up the tunnel early for two bookings, the second coming after a bit of daft handbags with Jonathan Gould. Let me tell you, that walk off the pitch and into the dressing room should take 10 seconds but it felt like 10 minutes. Then there’s the wait on your own inside for the final whistle. There’s no lonelier place in football.

And yet, I used that experience as fuel after I served my ban. The next time we played Celtic, we beat them 5-1 at our place. That’s the rollercoaster ride that comes with being at the Old Firm and Cantwell seems to thrive on the experience. Yes, he can get involved in the odd bit of silliness that makes him a target, but he can play and right now he is the creative spark that is vital to this run Rangers take into the Old Firm clash.

They’ll also go into it fresher than they would have been if the Ross County game had been played on Wednesday. But that’s a double-edged sword. Yes, the likes of Connor Goldson, who came off against Motherwell late on, will have had more recovery time, but from a player’s perspective, I always wanted to play when the team is going well. So, I’d rather have played the Ross County game and kept the momentum going, because that’s certainly what Rangers have got at the moment.

When you’re winning games, you want to play as many as you can. Right now, Rangers are flying and the manner in which they coped with the conditions at Fir Park on Christmas Eve told me everything about the mentality Clement has instilled in his men very quickly.

MOST READ

1

Rangers next transfer move after Fabio Silva revealed as 2 targets emerge in key defensive hunt

2

Celtic land Lawrence Shankland transfer pitch as Rangers fan factor ‘weighed up’ amid Fabio Silva ripple effect

3

Fabio Silva in veiled Celtic swipe after Rangers transfer as Wolves loanee hypes up ‘best team in Scotland’ decision

Rangers’ Kieran Dowell celebrates (Image: SNS Group)

I’m only 10 miles from Motherwell, so I know what the weather was like. I was on a walk on Sunday morning and it was horrendous.

I was thinking: as a footballer, these are the worst conditions to play in. Rain isn’t a problem. The odd day when it’s a scorcher, you can deal with that – but wind is horrendous. I hated it and thought to myself, this is one of those days when you get in and out of Fir Park as quickly as possible with three points. The start of the game won the game for Rangers. They were positive and ruthless and had the points won before Motherwell could get a foothold in the game after half time when Stuart Kettlewell had obviously got into his players at the break.

But it was a professional performance from my old team. Job done. What has really impressed me is the way in which they’ve coped with so many injuries and continued to find a way to win. I don’t think anybody in their right mind would have predicted that Rangers would be going into such a crucial spell with Dujon Sterling and Kieren Dowell as the midfield partnership, but they were outstanding at the weekend.

Sterling has been a revelation in that role. He is like a stallion in the middle of the pitch. Big, strong, mobile and athletic but more than that, he can see and play a pass. With Ryan Jack, Nico Raskin, Jose Cifuentes and then John Lundstram all injured, you are thinking there’s a problem. But I always believe there’s a window of opportunity for somebody to come in and show that they can do a job and operate in different positions.

Join Record Sport’s Rangers WhatsApp community!

Get the latest Rangers news sent straight to your messages by joining our Rangers WhatsApp community today.

You’ll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines from Ibrox.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Record Sport team.

All you have to do is click here if you’re on mobile, select ‘Join Community’ and you’re in!

If you’re on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click ‘Join Community’.

We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.

To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.

If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

The prime example is Dujon Sterling and when Clement has all his midfielders available, the big fella will be giving him a pleasant headache because he has made a really strong argument for staying in the team. He was outstanding in the cup final and really good in the second half against Real Betis in Seville when he came on at the break, so he’s shown he can handle big pressure situations.

That said, the manager will be hoping Lundstram and Goldson are fit for Saturday. They are both big game players and they don’t come much bigger than one. Celtic might not have been hitting the heights recently, but back to back wins have steadied their ship and they carry a huge threat from middle to front with Matt O’Riley playing really well, Daizen Maeda back from injury and Luis Palma a threat out wide. Then there’s Kyogo, who has a good recent record against Rangers.

The Ibrox support, watching in the pubs or at home on their TVs, will be confident and with some justification because of how they’ve handled every challenge thrown at them. This might be the biggest one yet. Have they got the mentality to handle it? I think they do.

Ian Wright’s Celtic story stuns Gary Neville as Roy Keane delivers wild retort

Ian Wright Celtic history leaves Gary Neville gob-smacked as Roy Keane delivers savage one-liner

Arsenal legend Wright spent four months at Parkhead after being signed as a short-term replacement for injured Henrik Larsson

STICK TO FOOTBALL QUIZ WITH PADDY MCGUINNESS

It goes without saying that Ian Wright’s best years were well behind him when the Arsenal legend pitched up at Celtic Park in 1999.

So much so that close pal and Manchester United legend Gary Neville didn’t even know he played for the Hoops! It’s a period in history that Celtic fans would rather erase from memory, and that’s why Wright’s short stint in Glasgow was a forgettable one.

Following Henrik Larsson’s horror leg break in Lyon, boss John Barnes turned to his ex-England teammate by signing the striker from West Ham on a short-term deal. A player in the twilight of his career and living on past glories, it’s fair to say Wright’s time at Parkhead didn’t go to plan as he scored just three times and came on as a second-half sub during that infamous Scottish Cup defeat to Inverness Caley Thistle.

AND ALSO

Mikey Johnston told Celtic destiny is in his own hands as Brendan Rodgers sends blunt message

Barnes paid the price with his job that night and it wasn’t long before Wright followed him out the door, returning south with Burnley where he eventually pulled the curtain down on his impressive career.

Best known for his iconic years at Crystal Palace and Arsenal, Wright’s association with Celtic left Neville gob-smacked as the Stick to Football pundit and sidekick Jamie Carragher were asked by quiz host Paddy McGuinness to list the clubs the goalscoring frontman played for. After Liverpool hero Carragher answered Celtic, astonished Neville turned to Wright and exclaimed: “You went to Celtic?”

Before Wright could get a word in, devilish Roy Keane – who also spent a short spell at Parkhead – immediately dished out a savage one-liner and teased: “He was up there… he didn’t play, did he?”

Justifying his move to Celtic, Wright explained: “I had a period of my career where I was bouncing from one club to another trying to finish in 2000.”

The 60-year-old added: “I played for Nottingham Forest for a month’s loan before I went to Celtic. So it was Palace, Arsenal and West Ham. Then Forest on loan, Celtic and Burnley. I had four clubs in one season, you can’t do that anymore. Me and Harry Redknapp didn’t get on so he blew me out at West Ham. I went on loan to Forest, then Henrik Larsson got injured so I went to Celtic.

“It all went wrong, Barnesy was there, then I went to Burnley to finish it off and we got promoted. It’s a beautiful story.”

You can watch the full Stick to Football episode in the video player above.

Join Football Scotland’s Celtic WhatsApp community!

Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our Celtic WhatsApp community today.

You’ll receive daily updates on breaking Hoops news as well as the top headlines from Parkhead.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Football Scotland team.

All you have to do is click here if you’re on mobile, select ‘Join Community’ and you’re in!

If you’re on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click ‘Join Community’.

We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.

To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.

If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Join Football Scotland’s Celtic WhatsApp community!

Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our Celtic WhatsApp community today.

You’ll receive daily updates on breaking Hoops news as well as the top headlines from Parkhead.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Football Scotland team.

All you have to do is click here if you’re on mobile, select ‘Join Community’ and you’re in!

If you’re on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click ‘Join Community’.

We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.

To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.

Celtic “advance” in talks with “prospect” after summer scouting missions

Celtic are in the market for quality in the January window…

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has made no secret of his desire to add quality to the ranks at Parkhead in January and his side are now reportedly advancing in negotiations for a known target.

Celtic gearing up for busy January window

Despite a comfortable 3-0 victory over Dundee at Dens Park on Boxing Day, Celtic will be keen to strengthen in January and Rodgers has made his intent to bolster his squad known over the last few weeks.

Speaking earlier this month cited via Sky Sports, the Irishman signalled his intention to add a high calibre of player mid-season, as he stated: “There’s no doubt now that, one, the squad will come down in numbers and obviously we need to add quality. There is no dressing it up, the group lost real quality players in the summer. That’s something that over the coming windows we will look to improve on.”

Boost for Rodgers as Celtic make aggressive January call on Matt O’Riley

Bringing in a striker has become a priority for the Hoops and their need is exacerbated by the fact that Kyogo Furuhashi, Oh Hyeon-gyu and Daizen Maeda could all head off to represent their respective nations on Asian Cup duty. Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Fabio Silva is believed to have been offered on loan as a potential short-term solution to the Scottish Premiership champions’ conceivable shortage of frontmen and it remains to be seen whether the Portugal Under-21 international will move to Parkhead.

Hacken midfielder Romeo Amane, Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski and Brondby talent Mathias Kvistgaarden are all other names who have been mentioned in connection with Celtic in previous weeks. Now, comments from the manager of a known Hoops target have come to light suggesting that Celtic may be moving closer to completing a signing, as cited by a report.

Celtic “advance” in Jung negotiations

As per reports from South Korea, cited by The Daily Record, Celtic have managed to “advance” in negotiations with Gwangju midfielder Jung Ho-Yeon, who was scouted by Hoops’ chiefs in the summer transfer window.

The Hoops have previously dipped into the South Korean market to recruit Yang Hyun-jun and Oh and could now be set to return to familiar territory for the 23-year-old midfielder.

Jung key statistics – K League 1 2023 (Sofascore)

Balls recovered per game

5.4

Tackles per game

2.0

Accurate passes per game

41.3 (90%)

Team of the week inclusions

5

Average match rating

6.99/10

Speaking to local media, Gwangju manager Lee Jung-Hyo detailed the latest on the situation, stating: “Jung Ho-Yeon is currently in talks to advance to Europe from Gwangju, but still have a long way to go. If you go to Europe now, you are bound to end up in a clumsy situation. It is wise to prepare well like Cho Gue-sung (who signed for Midtjylland last summer) and choose the team and league well.”

Labelled a “prospect” by Asian football expert Dario Focardi, the South Korea Under-23 international has gone on to make 34 appearances in 2023, registering two goals and three assists (Jung statistics – Transfermarkt).

Celtic will need to attract quality reinforcements if they are to retain their Scottish Premiership title and Jung looks like a midfielder who could add a different dimension to Rodgers’ engine room.

By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.