Celtic are in the race to sign an “incredible” attacker this summer, according to a new report.
Celtic transfer rumours
The Hoops and Brendan Rodgers are currently involved in an extremely tight Scottish Premiership title race with rivals Rangers, while they also find themselves in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.
There is still plenty to play for on the pitch, but away from the field, those at Parkhead appear to be making preparations ahead of the transfer window.
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The Hoops are “back in the market”.
Recent reports have suggested that Celtic are looking to sign at least three players ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, with a new goalkeeper, winger and striker being prioritised.
A few specific targets have been mentioned, such as Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and loanee Adam Idah making his move permanent. A new target has now emerged, though, one who has enjoyed a remarkable season in front of goal.
Celtic in Sammie Szmodics transfer race
According to Football Insider, Celtic are now in the race to sign Blackburn Rovers star Sammie Szmodics.
The Hoops are thought to be battling Premier League outfit Brentford and a number of other unnamed top-flight clubs in England for the attacking midfielder, who recently made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland.
The 28-year-old has scored a whopping 27 goals in all competitions in 2023/24 and is the top scorer in the Championship. It is added that ‘Szmodics has been fielded as an attacking midfielder and a centre-forward this season and could provide great versatility if he moves to the Glasgow giants’.
Szmodics appears to be at the peak of his powers at Ewood Park, so a move to Parkhead could be a shrewd one by Hoops officials, especially if current attacking midfielder Matt O’Riley departs, as has been speculated.
Szmodics’ best performances this season | WhoScored rating |
|---|---|
Norwich City 1-3 Blackburn Rovers | 9.17/10 |
Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Middlesbrough | 9.05/10 |
Blackburn Rovers 4-2 Birmingham City | 8.94/10 |
Queens Park Rangers 0-4 Blackburn Rovers | 8.09/10 |
Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Plymouth Argyle | 7.96/10 |
He could therefore slot straight into the Celtic setup, with Szmodics a player who has been called “incredible” by former manager Jon Dahl Tomasson.
“The development of Sammie is great to see. He’s a team player, he’s a goalscorer. He’s very good in doing all the things we want, then of course scoring that amount of goals and also even getting assists.
“And still the good thing is, he can miss a chance and it doesn’t matter, he can go on. Great character and great to see him getting the ball with him at home.
“After Christmas last season, I think he’s been really good for Rovers and after the summer holiday, he’s been extremely good. He’s also added those goals.
“We always know he can score goals but he’s not used to playing a lot of games at this level first of all, he played with Peterborough but not a lot. The way he’s scoring goals, the confidence he’s playing with and the role he takes as one of the senior players is quite incredible.”
