Celtic target David Datro Fofana’s price tag has been named by Chelsea.
The Ivorian striker, who has been on loan in Turkey this season, is expected to be sold by his parent club this month, as they look to capitalise on his form this season.
Martin O’Neill already has one striker in the door, in the form of Czechia international Tomas Cvancara. However, he hasn’t ruled out bringing in another.
Whilst Cvancara is a towering presence, Fofana is less tall and more technical. A £10m signing from Molde in 2023, he has had loan spells at Burnley and Union Berlin.
But we now know that he won’t be joining Leicester, who have dropped out of the race for a permanent signing.
Should Tomas Cvancara start against Hearts this weekend?
Leicester City drop out of race for Celtic target David Datro Fofana
That’s according to the Leicester Mercury, who say that the Foxes have been scared off by the Blues’ asking price.
Chelsea reportedly want £10 million for Fofana, and any such investment would signify a significant risk for any potential buyers.
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It would be… somewhat uncharacteristic for the Hoops to pay that money in the January window, so you’d assume that any deal is impossible unless that asking price is lowered.
Cvancara’s loan move includes an option to buy which is reportedly of a similar fee, but there is a massive difference between that and paying an eight-figure fee for the player outright.
Speaking about his new striker, O’Neill was keen to stress that he is not a classic ‘target man’, saying: “He’s not a target man, believe it or not.
“He’s not the John Hartson type, or the type when Chris Sutton played alongside Henrik Larsson. He’s quick, he’s agile, and he wants to prove himself.
“If you think he’s the immediate answer to any sort of problem we have, I’m not sure I’d throw that sort of responsibility on him.”
The 25-year-old is available to play in Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash with Hearts, which would be a seismic debut.
No pressure, big man.
Is David Datro Fofana the answer to Celtic’s striker problem? Let us know in the comments below.
Other strikers linked with Celtic in the January transfer window
Fofana is one of three Ivorian strikers credibly linked with Celtic this month. Another is Mohamed Bamba, who is expected to leave Lorient.
Ibrahim Diabate of Swedish side GAIS is also being sought after – he, most definitely, is the ‘target man’ type that O’Neill has been discussing.
Callum Wilson is now an unlikely option, with West Ham U-turning on his release after his late winner against Tottenham.
So too is Kyogo Furuhashi, who has scored in two games since talk of a sensational loan return emerged.
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