Celtic have begun negotiations to sign Aaron Malouda, according to a report.
Despite the temporary status of Martin O’Neill, the Hoops’ groundwork for their summer transfer window is well underway, with links flying around everywhere.
Regardless of who the manager will be, a seismic rebuild awaits Celtic ahead of next season, with plenty of movement expected in both directions.
It appears that Malouda is among their targets, but there are other clubs in the race.
Do you expect Celtic to break their record transfer fee this summer? (£11m)
Celtic ‘present project’ to Sabah winger Aaron Malouda
According to L’Equipe, Celtic have “presented their project” to Malouda and begun negotiations to sign him this summer.
Sampdoria have done the same, with other European clubs interested.
READ MORE: Martin O’Neill’s Willie Collum admission changes Celtic VAR debate
If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Malouda is the son of ex-Chelsea, Lyon and France winger Florent Malouda.
He has spent time in the academies of Lyon, Rennes and finally Lille, where he was integrated into senior football as a 17-year-old.
Just like his father, he is a left-winger. After time on loan at Nimes in the French second tier, he joined Azerbaijani side FK Sabah on loan last summer.
His form led to the move being made permanent in January, but he is expected to depart at the end of the season.
In all competitions this campaign, the 20-year-old has eight goals and four assists. He also ranks second in the league for dribbling frequency.
In the first spell of Brendan Rodgers, Celtic had plenty of joy with the French market, signing the likes of Odsonne Edouard, Moussa Dembele and Oliver Ntcham in their early 20s.
A France youth international, Malouda is also eligible for French Guiana.
If so, who would you have in mind?
Martin O’Neill on a major Celtic rebuild
Discussing the upcoming rebuild last week, O’Neill said: “We will have to try and act relatively quickly on players.
“On the larger picture, yeah, I’m looking at this minute at players, but it is strange, because I’m more focused on the matches here.
“So, if you’ve got a spare hour, the scouts are in there, they’re looking at a lot of things, which they should be doing anyway.
“This is the point. Let’s say somebody steps in during the first week of June or something, then [the scouts] should be able to put a lot of this forward to him and say, ‘This is what we’re doing, this is the general consensus that these players are really good’.
“And then it’s up to him to have a look at these players and see.”
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
