Celtic need to improve their squad in the winter transfer window. That has become quite clear after what we have seen so far this season.

This is a team that is not performing in any department at the moment. Reinforcements are needed all across the pitch. But it is particularly their midfield which might need some added quality before anywhere else.

In the summer, we saw starting-level players like Reo Hatate and Arne Engels. Unfortunately, they were not replaced by those with similar quality.

Mika Baur has had some moments of quality but the jury is still out. As for Oliver Sorensen and Joel van den Berg, we have not seen much. And now, it looks like the club already have their eyes set on another young midfielder heading into the winter transfer window.

According to a report from AfricaFoot, Celtic are one of the clubs to have sent scouts to watch Abdoulaye Doumbia. The competition is heavy though.

The report also names clubs like Sunderland, Bayer Leverkusen, Everton, Club Brugge, Strasbourg, Paris FC, Coventry City, Freiburg, Nice and Lens.

So, if Celtic end up winning the race to sign the €5 million-rated midfielder ahead of all those teams, it would have to be considered a coup.

Of course, is he the kind of midfielder that Celtic need right now? Or would they just be compounding on their problems if they sign Doumbia?

Doumbia is a real talent without a doubt. Largely playing as a defensive midfielder, he would solve a problem position for this Celtic team.

That being said, he is not a physical presence in defensive midfield by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, he is an energetic presence who can do a bit of everything there.

It is also worth remembering that he is still just 19 years of age. So, his game is still developing.

At the same time though, that has not stopped Doumbia from already establishing himself as a starter for Hacken. In fact, he is so important to the Swedish team already that he is rarely even subbed off.

So, there is a possibility that he could be further along in his development than anybody expects. Then again, under the current circumstances, it might be better for Celtic to go after someone who is already established in the game and you know what you will be getting from.