Celtic are interested in making a move for Hearts striker Uche Ikpeazu, according to the Scottish Sun.
The Jambos striker has made an impression this season with his physicality and ability to power through Scottish Premiership defences.
This season, Ikpeazu has fired home just six goals in only 20 appearances. Just two of these goals came in the Premiership too. It’s hardly a convincing stat ahead of any potential move.
The Sun believes that Hearts would be looking for a sum in the region of £1million. The likes of Rangers, Hull City, and Cardiff City are all also reportedly interested.
Ikpeazu has given Celtic some real problems in the past. In the recent 2-1 win at Tynecastle, the bustling striker was a real threat. Our defenders seemed to just bounce off him, and he created several chances in that match through his own hard work.
He also set up the Kyle Lafferty goal that beat Celtic back in August. So he certainly has previous against the Parkhead side.
Time to be a bit more ambitious than that
Come the summer, we’re really looking to push ahead for the Champions League qualifiers. Ikpeazu has never played European football. Before moving to Hearts, he only managed just 22 goals in 80 matches.
He’s not prolific and isn’t an out-and-out goalscorer. You also have to question whether his slow game would be suited to the way Celtic try and play football. He doesn’t have much pace to speak of and relies solely on his physical attributes.
He only recently signed a new extension to his contract at Tynecastle too. So Hearts have the ball in their court regarding what they would truly value him at. You would like to think that a player would have to show more than Ikpeazu has to earn a move to Parkhead.
He certainly seems to be attracting some decent suitors. There’s also no denying he’s had a positive campaign in Gorgie this term.
But if this is a serious target, you would want some more ambition from the board and management staff. Ikpeazu simply hasn’t done enough to earn a move to Celtic.
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