It has felt like Celtic have in constant search of a striker for years now. One could argue that it began when Giorgos Giakoumakis left the club in early 2023. He was replaced by Oh Hyeon-gyu, who has done well since leaving Glasgow, but he was not exactly a success story at Parkhead.

Celtic never really found a backup striker of Giakoumakis' quality. In January of last year, Kyogo Furuhashi moved away from the club as well, after three-and-a-half glorious seasons with the Hoops. That was followed by Adam Idah's late exit last summer.

It all compounded to leave Celtic's striker ranks in a very poor position. Kelechi Iheanacho was signed as a free agent in the summer, after they failed to get a late deal for Kasper Dolberg done.

Unfortunately, Iheanacho has been riddled with injury problems. Even when he has been fit, he has not exactly been prolific in front of goal.

Celtic did sign two strikers in the recent winter transfer window, both on loan deals from Bundesliga clubs. Tomas Cvancara was brought in from Borussia Monchengladbach. Junior Adamu was signed from SC Freiburg. The Hoops have the option to buy clauses of €7 million and €5 million, respectively.

It remains to be seen if they will sign either of them in the summer. It is quite likely though that the club will find themselves dipping into the transfer market once again, looking to strengthen their striker ranks. In fact, it appears that they are already working on their options in that department.

According to Mark Hendry on CeltsAreHere, Celtic have shown an interest in Ali Avila. The Hoops have been tracking the Mexican forward for some time, with specialist scout Mark Cooper among those aware of his progress.

Ali Avila currently plays in the Mexican league for Queretaro. He has scored 6 goals in 12 games across all competitions this season, and is a man in form. That being said, his contract is believed to be expiring at the end of the campaign, which could open up the door for Celtic to make their move for the 22-year-old.

He has spent his entire career playing in Mexico though. So, there will be question marks around his ability to adjust to a jump to Europe.

That being said, it is very possible that the club move their eyes towards other targets in the coming months. One has to remember that there is quite some time between now and the summer transfer window. A lot could change, plenty also depends on the performances of Iheanacho, Cvancara and Adamu.

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