Sydney van Hooijdonk suggests January exit is possible after summer Celtic reports

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Bologna striker Sydney van Hooijdonk has hinted at a potential exit from the Italian club in January.

Van Hooijdonk, the son of former Celtic striker Pierre, has only made five Serie A appearances this season, failing to start a single game.

The Dutch striker joined Heerenveen on loan in January 2022, having spent the past two seasons in the Eredivisie, scoring 22 goals in 46 league games.

Van Hooijdonk would certainly be a shrewd piece of business for Celtic, boasting a decent pedigree of scoring goals in the Eredivisie. This is reminiscent of Giorgos Giakoumakis, who joined Celtic in August 2021 from VVV-Venlo and departed in March 2023 after scoring 19 goals in 40 appearances for the Hoops.

Van Hooijdonk said: [Corriere dello Sport], “I’m fine. I’m at a good team and I like life a lot. But I have to do what’s best for my growth. For my career. I also have to play.

“In football, things can change quickly. There are two months left until January and who knows what will happen? Now, there is Joshua who is playing a great season. Do the rumours about my possible transfer bother me? It’s normal when you don’t play. In the last year-and-a-half, I’ve played a lot and also scored a lot. In my opinion, Bologna isn’t the same as when I came here two years ago. Everything has improved. The level… everything. We’ll see what happens.”

He is clearly a player looking for more minutes and a move in January now looks possible.

After interest from the club, Celtic were previously told by Bologna that all bids would be rejected for the Dutch striker in the summer transfer window. The obvious links to the Hoops through his father, who played for Celtic from 1995 until 1997, add an interesting dimension to the potential transfer.

Celtic have also been tipped to look at Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland in recent days. With Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, and Hyengou Oh all away at the Asian Cup in January, Celtic are expected to sign a striker in the winter transfer window.