Celtic have been linked with a triple transfer move
Celtic are ready to make major moves in the summer transfer window as they look to bounce back from a season of turmoil, according to reports.
The Scottish champions have endured a rollercoaster of a season, beginning with former head coach Brendan Rodgers’ resignation in October. His permanent replacement, Wilfried Nancy, lasted just 33 days in the role after losing five of his seven games in charge. In between, 74-year-old Martin O’Neill has taken the reins on an interim basis.
Currently five points behind league leaders Hearts, the reigning champions are in serious danger of losing their Scottish Premiership crown as the league split appears on the horizon, and reports claim the Celtic hierarchy are already drawing up a list of targets for the summer transfer window to ensure they wrestle back their domestic dominance should they worst case scenario happen.
Hibs midfielder Miguel Chaiwa is on Celtic's summer shopping list, according to reports.placeholder image
Hibs midfielder Miguel Chaiwa is on Celtic's summer shopping list, according to reports. | Getty Images
And two of their key targets are set to come from within the Scottish Premiership, with the Glasgow giants ready to launch moves for Motherwell winger Elijah Just and Hibernian central-midfielder Miguel Chaiwa. According to The Herald, both players have been identified as part of the club’s planned squad overhaul.
Chaiwa, 21, was linked with a move to Parkhead on transfer deadline day in January, though no move materialised for the energetic, box-to-box midfielder as the club strengthened their squad with the loan signings of Junior Adamu, Joel Mvuka, and Benjamin Arthur instead.
Meanwhile, Just has been a key player for Motherwell as the Fir Park side has undergone a major transformation under Danish head coach Jens Berthel Askou, who has himself been linked with a move to Celtic in the summer as O’Neill’s permanent successor. New Zealand international Just has scored six goals and assisted a further two in 19 league games this term following his transfer from Horsens last July.
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Elsewhere, Celtic are also credited with an interest in former Liverpool and Norwich City defender Ozan Kabak, who is available on a Bosman free transfer at the end of the current campaign. A former Bundesliga rookie of the year winner, he has been labelled the “Turkish de Ligt" amid comparisons to Manchester United centre-back Mattias de Ligt, who moved to Old Trafford in a £39million deal two-and-a-half years ago.
The 25-year-old began his career as a teenager in his homeland with Galatasaray, before he was snapped up by Stuttgart in 2019. He then joined FC Schalke for a fee of £13million. After impressing in Gelsenkirchen, he was brought to Liverpool on a loan-to-buy deal by former Reds manager Jurgen Klopp. However, after playing just nine times, they opted against making his move permanent.
A short loan spell at Norwich City followed before he linked up with Hoffenheim in the summer of 2022. A regular for the high-flying German top-flight side, reports claim that while Celtic’s top priority is to sign a new goalkeeper to replace 39-year-old stopper Kasper Schmeichel, they view Turkish international Kabak as a ‘cost-effective’ option that would bolster their defensive options.