Celtic don’t want to sell Odsonne Edouard this summer, but if they do, Ivan Saponjic is a player they like as a replacement, Sky Sports reported on Wednesday night.
The broadcaster believes that the Scottish champions will do all they can to keep the Frenchman at Celtic Park and that signing another striker is not a priority.
However, in the event that Edouard or Leigh Griffiths leaves the club, Saponjic is one of the names they will look to.
The 23-year-old signed for Atletico Madrid from Benfica last summer but has made just three appearances for the La Liga side, totalling 64 minutes of action.
At Benfica he didn’t make much headway either, failing to start for the senior side despite making 68 B-team appearances, during which he scored 14 goals.
On loan at Belgian top-flight side Zulte Wagerem he netted just seven in 39 appearances (Transfermarkt).
None of this is particularly impressive but Celtic must see something they like.
As an Edouard replacement? I’m unconvinced.
As another squad option instead of Leigh Griffiths? That’s when I’m more interested.
Last night’s defeat to Ferencvaros is likely to have wide-ranging and dramatic consequences at the club.
All bets are off when it comes to transfers now, despite Lennon’s assertion we don’t need group stage money to make improvements.
Over the last few seasons, we’ve used player sales to boost revenue in the wake of Champions League qualifying disaster.
That, along with the manager’s worrying post-match comments about want-away players, means both major incoming and outgoing transfers can be expected before the October 5th deadline.
Will Saponjic be one of them? Time will tell, but it’s at least a name worth keeping an eye on over the coming weeks now that Sky Sports have made the link.
In other news, Lennon has explained his controversial team selection last night.
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