Another day waiting for Celtic to sign a striker…
Martin O’Neill is working overtime on the phone trying to bolster his attacking options, and a new name is seemingly coming up every day.
David Datro Fofana is the latest Celtic link to emerge, with Chelsea looking to cash in on the Ivorian striker who is currently out on loan in Turkey.
Kieron Bowie rumours persist, while Ibrahim Diabate, Callum Wilson and Franko Kovacevic are all still being spoken about.
Another name that’s been bandied about since December is that of Union Berlin striker Andrej Ilic – and we now have an update from sources close to the player.
Is David Datro Fofana the answer to Celtic’s striker problem? Let us know in the comments below.
Update on Celtic links to Andrej Ilic
Serbian international Ilic was prolific in Finland and Norway, earning himself a move to Lille in 2024.
However, he wasn’t fancied by Paulo Fonseca or Bruno Genesio in France, leading to a move to Union Berlin, which started strongly but has now petered out.
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Celtic have been linked with Ilic since December, with his name back on the market after his rough form for Union.
However, Mark Hendry has now reported that ‘sources close’ to the 25-year-old say there has been no contact from Celtic.
Given that the links initially emerged during Wilfried Nancy’s tenure, he could’ve been a player targeted for the Frenchman’s system.
Union paid over £6 million to make their loan deal for Ilic permanent in the summer, so wouldn’t come cheap if Celtic were to make contact.
But for now, the ex-Manchester City man isn’t one being pursued by Martin O’Neill, it seems. Another one you can cross off the list.
The 6″2 striker made his debut for Serbia last year, and is a teammate of former Celtic men Oliver Burke and Josip Juranovic.
How much would you pay for Franko Kovacevic?
Martin O’Neill on Celtic’s transfer business
Speaking about the Hoops’ transfer procedures for January, interim boss O’Neill was brutally honest in his answer.
He said: “I’d love to blame all the people, but it’s down to me.
“Because unless you’ve identified a player that you absolutely know is going to improve your team, and that you’re prepared to spend the money on them, I think it becomes more difficult.
“I think I might’ve said to you a couple of weeks ago that the new manager would’ve wanted to have the January transfer window so that he could identify players for his particular system.
“Now, we are genuinely working really hard in the background. So there’s no impediment in that sense. It’s just about trying to get some people in that we think can help us now, at least until the end of the season.
“Essentially, it’s true [that I’m being presented players to make a judgement on]. I have discarded some. That is true.
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