Nottingham Forest and Millwall look set to rival Celtic for their former star Oliver Burke.
According to Nottinghamshire Live, Celtic could have a real battle on their hands. Reports yesterday claimed that Brendan Rodgers was keen on luring the Scotland international back up to Scotland. Now, however, two Championship rivals are in the mix.
Burke has struggled to make much of an impact since joining West Brom in the summer. He’s only made five appearances this season for the Championship outfit.
Unfortunately for Celtic and their rivals, any deal is likely to be a loan one. The former RB Leipzig man cost WBA a fee of around £15million. Therefore, Darren Moore’s Baggies aren’t likely to let their expensive asset leave so suddenly.
Moore would be hoping that a loan spell for Burke elsewhere will help him find some form. Celtic, however, are one of just a number of interested parties.
A move to Forest in particular could sway Burke. The youngster broke through at the City Ground outfit back in 2015. In total, he made 31 appearances at Forest and managed six goals. To date, it’s the most productive spell of the 21-year-old’s career.
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A real talent who’s lost his way
Since signing for Leipzig back in 2016, however, Burke has lost his way. The increased competition and standard of the Bundesliga seemed to set him back, and he also wasn’t ready when thrown into the Scotland squad by Gordon Strachan. Ever since his five senior caps between 2016 and 2017, he hasn’t be seen again in a Scotland jersey.
It’s no surprise, however, that both Millwall and Forest are both now interested in his services. You can expect several more Championship clubs to express an interest in the coming days and weeks too.
This deal looks an attractive one on paper for Celtic. The only problem, however, would be trying to get him to sign for the club on a permanent basis.
If Burke came to Scotland and done well, which you would expect, Celtic still couldn’t afford him. West Brom aren’t likely to want to sell for a sizable loss, with Celtic unlikely to go high enough with a bid.
Regardless, having him in for the short-term would be an interesting prospect for the Hoops. He can play down the right and through the middle, which would provide Brendan Rodgers with cover for a couple of areas.
Celtic are in need for some real competition for James Forrest. Burke would be someone who could provide that.
A move for him, however, is still a long way from being done with Celtic not having tabled a formal offer. As it stands, nobody has.