Anthony Joseph has confirmed that Celtic have made their move, which could end the hopes of the Rangers.
It would safe to say that the Rangers handed Celtic the chance to kick off their title defence on a high. Derek McInnes' side dropped two points in their opening game of the league season with a 1-1 draw against Dundee United.
That means that when Celtic take on Dundee FC today, they will already have the chance of taking a two-point lead over their Glasgow rivals, if they can win of course.
Obviously, Celtic have had their problems and shown their frailties in pre-season. One could argue that their already weak squad has been further weakened following the departure of players like Daizen Maeda, Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi.
So, they will need to add more fresh faces over the summer. And it looks like they are now pushing for an addition on the wing. Once again though, it is bad news for McInnes' Rangers.
Celtic Make Offer for Rangers' 'Top Target'
According to Anthony Joseph, Frosinone have knocked back Celtic’s opening offer of around £6 million for Fares Ghedjemis.
It’s understood that Frosinone would like to keep the Algerian international, but Celtic are pushing hard for a deal. Talks are ongoing between the clubs.
It is not too long ago that Ghedjemis was being touted as a top target for the Rangers in the Scottish media. So, this update has to be bad news for the Ibrox side and their hopes of landing him.
If it comes down to one or the other, it would not be unreasonable to assume that most players would pick the team that has won 14 out of the last 15 league titles in Scotland.
Why Ghedjemis?
Ghedjemis enjoyed a solid 25/26 campaign as Frosinone secured promotion to Serie A. And the Algerian winger might have been the main orchestrator on the pitch behind that.
Ghedjemis scored 15 goals and provided 3 assists in Serie B. That is impressive output for any player, but most definitely a winger.
The underlying numbers are even more impressive. Ghedjemis topped the Serie B charts for wingers in terms of goals, expected goals, xG on target, shots, shots on target, touches in the opposition box and successful dribbles.
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Just three assists might suggest that he is not a creative winger, but that is not the whole truth. He was in the 97th percentile for expected assists, chances created, and big chances created, and in the 96th percentile for successful passes and touches.
Those numbers are staggering. This is a winger who was clearly too good for Serie B. He has drawn comparisons to Riyad Mahrez.
Now, would this translate to Celtic and the Scottish Premiership? That is impossible to predict. But as far as potential and talent is concerned, making a move for Ghedjemis would be a no-brainer.
It is worth pointing out that Ghedjemis is not the only winger Celtic have been linked with recently. Real Oviedo's Egyptian World Cup standout, Haissem Hassan, is believed to be on their radar as well.
