Alan Stubbs weighs in on Celtic’s chances of signing Mohamed Elyounoussi

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Former Celtic defender Alan Stubbs has touched on whether the club can sign Southampton’s Mohamed Elyounoussi.

His spectacular form has led to hopes that he could perhaps be kept on beyond the summer. He’s scored against the likes of Cluj, Aberdeen, and Hibernian since joining the club – making it seven goals in 10 appearances for the Norwegian.

Elyounoussi has certainly been coy on his future (Scottish Sun), whilst Neil Lennon believes it’s too early to discuss it (Scottish Sun). But that won’t stop speculation from rumbling on as the season goes on.

And Stubbs has had his say on whether the left-winger could sign at Parkhead permanently. Speaking to the Ladbrokes Social Club, here’s what Stubbs has had to say on it:

“It might take a lot to sign him. But it might not be a bad time to test the water before he carries on.

“If I’m Celtic, I’m certainly having initial conversations with his parent club and seeing how they progress.”

Celtic could show some ambition – but how much could we get him for?

Stubbs has hit it on the head. Celtic could seriously show some ambition here and start talking with Southampton immediately. However, talks will only go as far as the Saints allow.

It could take them a bit of time to decide whether they want to keep him or not. They don’t need to be rushed into a decision. We don’t even know if Celtic have already done that either. For all we know, Nicky Hammond and Peter Lawwell have already opened up communication channels regarding Mo.

But then there’s the big £16million elephant in the room. That’s how much Saints signed him for from Basel (The Telegraph). We not only have to convince Southampton to let him go, but also to take a loss.

After all, are we really going to pay £16m for his services? Not a chance – that’s nowhere near our current club record. But there’s no reason why Celtic can’t rack up an eight-figure bid if we truly want him.

It all depends on whether Southampton feel he has no chance of a breakthrough. But watching their struggles this season, they must be looking on at Mo with regret. He likely could’ve made some form of positive impact for them this season if they stuck by him.

So we can add Stubbs to the long line of Celtic fans who want the club to get the deal done. But can we really put pressure on the Parkhead chiefs to get it over the line? Not overly given the circumstances.