Celtic have been linked with a move for a brilliant player who is said to be 'very likely' to join the club this summer.
When the summer transfer window opens, Celtic fans will be hoping for the club to be busy straight off the bat. In recent times, they have not gotten their business done quick enough and performed poorly in the Champions League qualification process as a result of it. They cannot afford to repeat that same mistake again.
One position where Celtic must strengthen this summer is striker. They will most probably pick up the option to extend Kelechi Iheanacho's contract. But Daizen Maeda is very likely to leave, and to be fair, the Hoops should not stand in his way.
Maeda will need to be replaced, though. He was the driving force behind Celtic's double with a phenomenal run of form, when all hope had seemed lost.
That run solidified him as a Celtic legend. But at the same time, it also makes him incredibly difficult to replace.
According to The Herald, Celtic remain interested in Kasper Hogh of Bodo/Glimt, who they wanted in January as well.
Now, this is very interesting because an earlier report from journalist Gianluca Di Marzio had claimed that Hogh was very likely to join Celtic and that the Hoops were leading the race to sign him.
If Celtic were able to pull off the signing of Hogh, it would have to go down as a major coup on their part. Just look at the season he has had.
Hogh was a standout for Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League. He scored goals against Manchester City, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Sporting Lisbon in Europe's elite competition.
When was the last time Celtic signed someone in that kind of form? More often than not, they bring in strikers who are struggling in front of goal or are past their prime.
In fact, the last time Celtic had signed a striker in top form, it was none other than Maeda, who had come in on the back of an excellent run at Yokohama F. Marinos. He has certainly backed up all the expectations and then some more with what he has achieved in the four-plus years since then.
Obviously, with Hogh's performances in the Champions League, one would imagine that other clubs would want him as well. So, it remains to be seen if Celtic are able to pull it off. If they are, it would have to be viewed as a statement of intent on the part of the Hoops.
He is not the only striker Celtic have been linked with in recent times though. It is believed that they have a former Real Madrid forward on their radar as well.
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