Celtic tipped by pundit to take a serious look at in-form striker this January

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Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland has been linked with a move to Celtic by journalist Mark Guidi.

Shankland has netted 38 goals in 65 games for the Jambos and was previously backed by former Celtic striker John Hartson to make a move to the Bhoys.

The Hearts striker was called up to Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad on Sunday, replacing the injured Che Adams, who pulled out due to a groin injury.

Shankland made his debut for Scotland in October 2019 and scored in his second game for the Tartan army against San Marino on October 13th in a 6-0 win. However, he has since found his game time limited, making only three more appearances.

Shankland was initially linked with a move to Celtic in January 2019 but opted to join Dundee United in July of the same year. He later moved to Belgian side Beerschot just over a year later, only to return to Scotland last summer, joining Hearts for a reported six-figure fee. Hearts’ current valuation of Shankland is said to have increased, believed to be around £3 million to £4 million.

At 28 years old, Shankland is in the prime of his career, and Celtic would be acquiring a striker at the very top of his game. The Glasgow born striker recently scored against Celtic at Tynecastle on October 22nd.

With Celtic’s current strikers Kyogo Furuhashi, Hyeongyu Oh and Daizen Maeda likely away at the Asian Cup in January, the Bhoys will be left without a recognized striker. This makes it almost certain that Celtic will seek to acquire another striker in January. Brendan Rodgers has acknowledged that signing a new striker in January is a priority, paving the way for a potential move for Shankland.

Guidi said: [Go Radio], “The thing is if Celtic sign a striker he’ll be playing. He’ll be a first-team striker because the guys will be away [on international duty]. I think Hearts will have bids to deal with in January and I think now for me, he’s a minimum, £3m striker.

“For Celtic, what do you want? If you’re assessing someone like Lawrence Shankland what are the plus points? He knows the league inside out. He can score goals with his eyes shut. He’s a right good player. There’s no bedding in time as in any language barriers or moving to a new country.

“And if the fee is £3m or £3.5m, Celtic can afford to do that with their eyes shut. I’m not saying he is the absolute number one for them, but just somebody that’s under your nose, I don’t think there’s many better than Lawrence Shankland.”

Celtic will likely have to pay an inflated fee for Shankland, with Hearts expected to command a premium from a domestic rival. Whether Celtic are willing to pay an inflated fee for a 28-year-old striker is still to be seen, with the Hoops’ analytics department likely scouting strikers in preparation for January.

Shankland is undoubtedly a prolific goal-scorer domestically, but there are doubts over whether he would be able to raise his game in the Champions League. However, he has proven this season that he can score goals in Europe, netting three and providing an assist in four Europa Conference League qualifying matches, despite Hearts failing to qualify for the Conference League.

Celtic typically don’t sign players over the age of 27; instead, they prefer to invest in younger players with the potential for high sell-on fees and profit. Shankland would not fit this typical profile, and Celtic almost certainly would not make any profit on the potential signing. However, one thing is clear: Shankland would score goals at Celtic.