Celtic-linked Bristol City forward Antoine Semenyo has discussed his future goal of playing at the highest level, but admits he’s in no rush to get there.
According to Bristol World, the Hoops sent a scout to watch the powerful striker 2 weeks ago in their game against Reading.
Semenyo is in fine form this season with 6 goals and 8 assists [Transfermarkt]. His latest strike being an absolute solo cracker against Middlesbrough as he keeps up the form that’s earned him the Championship Player of the Month award [Bristol Live].
And as the player continues to get more and more media attention, he’s now stated in an interview with Sky Sports that he’s eyeing up the very top:
“It has always been a dream of mine from when I was young. But whether it comes now or in a few years, I’m not in any kind of a rush. I just want to keep working on my game so that if I do ever get to the top then hopefully there’ll be no problems.
“I think it’s going really well now, but there’s always room for improvement, and there are small things I can always make better. But overall I feel like it’s been really good since I came back from injury. I’ll enjoy this success a little, but I won’t get too big-headed! I’ll be keeping my head down to make sure I still get the job done.”
Antoine Semenyo ready for a step-up, will it be to Celtic?
Semenyo was already in-demand back in the January transfer window. Nottingham Forest were reported to have had a bid booted out. Indeed, Bristol Live believes that the Robins want as much as £20m for their frontman.
Any price range in that bracket would almost certainly rule Celtic out. However, as things stand, the player’s current contract is up in the summer of 2023. Come the end of the season then, he’ll only have 12 months remaining on his contract.
That could be a boost if Celtic do indeed hold a strong interest. Ensuring we win the Premiership title this year and bag UCL qualification money, there will be a bit to spend. Semenyo’s value will decrease substantially from the £20m being reported. With 12 months on his contract, there’s nothing that can stop that so long as he doesn’t sign a new deal.
And with the form he’s on, he’s unlikely to be penning a new contract anytime soon. Not with the prospects he’ll have available come the summer. He’s managed 10 direct goal contributions in his last 8 Championship matches alone. He’ll do damage up here, that much is clear.
If this does enter Celtic’s price range, it would appear foolish to ignore it. We all know how much we were made to regret not bagging Ivan Toney from Peterborough United back in the summer of 2020.
Links like this, of course, highlight just how important it is for Celtic to secure the title this season. If we have UCL football to advertise to potential new signings this summer, it’ll put us in a much stronger position than we’ve been in recent years.
In other news, The message Ange Postecoglou kept giving Celtic squad to get them through rough patches
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