Celtic are seen as serious competition in the race to sign a “dangerous” forward who is also wanted by Ipswich Town.
Celtic transfer speculation
The Hoops are yet to make a summer signing ahead of Brendan Rodgers’ second season back in charge, but following the January transfer window shutting, the Northern Irishman did admit the club could look to be brave with their signings.
“I would go with supporters thinking we could maybe be a little bit braver in terms of bringing in another level of player. But that’s up to me to try and fix that over the course of my time here. You look at the strategy here and you have to be careful because in some ways it has worked. You bring in players for a minimal fee and then they go out and make the club a lot of money.
“What I want to hopefully balance in my time here is that we can still do that, because it is an important part of the modern game. But we also want to be brave enough to hang our hat on a ready-made player.”
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He could be an excellent addition for Rodgers and co.
Top of the transfer agenda at this moment in time is to find a replacement for Joe Hart following the goalkeeper’s retirement at the end of the previous campaign. A number of shot-stoppers have been linked, including Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher, Trabzonspor star Ugurcan Cakir, Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson, Werder Bremen colossus Michael Zetterer, Middlesbrough shot-stopper Tom Glover and more recently Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka and Croatia international Dominik Livakovic.
Alongside a goalkeeper, though, Celtic also want a new winger and striker, and there has been an update on one specific attacking target, with the Hoops seemingly still in the picture.
Celtic serious competition for £25m forward
There have been links this year to Celtic possibly moving to sign Panathinaikos centre-forward Fotis Ioannidis, although the Hoops looked set to be blown out of the water by West Ham.
However, now, according to reports from Portugal relayed by Sport Witness, Celtic are seen as serious competition to Sporting CP in the race to sign Ioannidis. Alongside the Hoops, Girona, Lazio, Sevilla, Lille and newly promoted Premier League side Ipswich Town are also keen on the 24-year-old.
Ioannidis, a Greece international, is under contract with Panathinaikos until 2027 and it is believed that they want up to €30m (£25.3m) for his services.
The Panathinaikos star caught the eye of a number of clubs across Europe last season, scoring 23 goals in all competitions, his best tally for a campaign in his career. He also earned praise from analyst Ben Mattison, who called Ioannidis “dangerous” in the box.
A move could be one to watch, but at a value of £25m, Celtic could be priced out of any possible transfer.
via The Novum Times
The Novum Times 