Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is keen to strengthen his forward line before the end of the window and has identified a striker with a notable connection to the Scottish giants as a potential arrival, according to recent reports.
What’s the latest news involving Celtic?
The Hoops are expected to be embroiled in some late-window drama as Rodgers looks to integrate some further quality into his squad before the close of play in the market.
As per The Daily Record, Benfica youngster Paulo Bernardo has been told that he is free to leave the Portuguese giants on loan this campaign after being informed he is not part of Roger Schmidt’s plans at the club and the Hoops have emerged as suitors to take him on a loan basis.
The report claims that Bernardo has a £90 million buy-out clause in his Benfica contract; however, club chiefs would be willing to negotiate a more reasonable option to buy in any prospective loan agreement, though clubs in Spain and Italy are also monitoring the 21-year-old.
Meanwhile, according to The Scottish Sun, Celtic have rebuffed an approach from Championship side Leeds United for Denmark Under-21 international Matt O’Riley.
Leeds United could return to the table with another offer before Friday’s transfer deadline; nevertheless, Celtic are keen to keep hold of the midfielder, who has also attracted further interest from Serie A outfit Bologna.
Honduras international Luis Palma has also jetted into Glasgow to complete his move to Celtic from Aris Thessaloniki for a fee in the region of £3.5 million, as per Football Scotland.
Another attacker could join Palma, however, Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph has delivered an update claiming that Celtic are now not expected to pursue Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden, explaining on X:
“After making initial enquiries, it’s looking unlikely that Celtic will pursue Brondby forward Mathias Kvistgaarden further in this window. They’d like to strengthen CF options but it is not a position of priority at the moment. Luis Palma can also play in this position.”
Who else could Celtic sign?
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Celtic completed summer signings |
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Player |
Fee |
Previous club |
|
Gustaf Lagerbielke |
£3 million |
Elfsborg |
|
Kwon Hyeok-kyu |
£1 million |
Busan IPark |
|
Marco Tilio |
£1.5 million |
Melbourne City |
|
Odin Thiago Holm |
Undisclosed |
Valerenga |
|
Maik Nawrocki |
£4.3 million |
Legia Warsaw |
|
Yang Hyun-jun |
£2 million |
Gangwon FC |
|
All fees courtesy of Sky Sports News |
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Sky Sports reporter Joseph has also issued another update involving Celtic’s pursuit of a striker, stating on X that Sydney van Hooijdonk is on the Parkhead radar.
“Bologna striker Sydney van Hooijdonk is another player who has been on Celtic’s radar this summer. His future still remains uncertain. @SkySportDe are reporting that Wolfsburg have made initial contact for the 23-year-old, who is the son of Hoops icon Pierre van Hooijdonk.”
In his senior career, Van Hooijdonk, once described as “prolific” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, has netted 49 goals in 130 appearances across all competitions across spells at NAC Breda, SC Heerenveen and his current employers Bologna, as per Transfermarkt.
Of course, Pierre van Hooijdonk, who is Sydney’s father, played for Celtic on 92 occasions, netting 56 goals in the process and was a fan favourite at Parkhead, with arguably his most notable strike coming in the 1995 Scottish Cup final against Airdrieonians, where the Hoops recorded a 1-0 victory to end a six-year trophy drought.
Whether a deal between Celtic and Van Hooijdonk can be thrashed out over the coming days will remain to be seen; however, the 23-year-old pitching up at the scene of his father’s former glories could definitely be one of the more poetic stories of the window.