As we get closer to January, speculation over Dundee United striker Lawrence Shankland continues to make headlines.
Back in September, Celtic were liked with an interest in the United man. The Daily Record claimed that we had him watched as he smashed home a hat-trick against Morton. Those three goals have been part of 19 in 18 games for United this season alone (Transfermarkt).
Only last week, United boss Robbie Neilson claimed that the club wouldn’t listen to offers for their star-man (BBC).
But local Dundee outlet The Courier have had one of their journalists, Calum Woodger speak to the Nottingham Post about Shankland’s availability.
“They recorded a £3.7m loss for the year but do have investment from American owner Mark Ogren to prop them up and are looking good for promotion to the Premiership.
“United have repeatedly placed on the record, Ogren, Neilson and sporting director Tony Asghar, that they will not sell in January but a bigger bid of £3-4m may test their resolve.
“He rejected approaches from down south in the summer so he was, obviously, keen to stay up here and improve his game.”
Celtic have no need to pay that kind of money for Shankland
It’s clear that a bid of around £1m or £2m isn’t going to be enough for Shankland. With the noises coming out of United about not selling the striker, it would be a huge surprise if they caved in so easily.
But if it is going to take around £4m to lure United into a deal, that’s not a road Celtic should go down. Shankland, whether we like it or not, just hasn’t proven himself enough to warrant that kind of figure.
To put it into perspective, both Leigh Griffiths and Vakoun Issouf Bayo cost less than that combined. Shankland has hardly proved he’s any better than those two.
Sure, his goal return is extremely impressive in the Championship. However, so was James Tavernier’s and Martyn Waghorn’s. Doing the same at Premiership level is a totally different level of football. There’s no guarantee that Shankland will be able to do the same in the top league, nevermind with Celtic.
If there was a deal to be done on the cheap, then perhaps it would be worth a punt. Should he cost in the region of £3m or £4m, however, there’s not much point in moving for him just now. Although it is important to take into consideration that United haven’t placed an official valuation on his head.
Celtic will still hope that both Griff and Bayo can come good this season anyway. If Shankland proves himself further down the line, then a discussion can be had. But spending a high sum just now shouldn’t be taken into consideration.
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