Antoine Semenyo's agent has revealed Celtic scout Craig Strachan has spoken to him about the Bristol City striker's personality, after the Scottish club watched the 22-year-old in action earlier this month.
Speaking to Football Scotland, Tony Finnegan has stated that Strachan, who is the Hoops European senior scout, has already started to conduct background checks on the Robins forward whose future at Ashton Gate continues to look uncertain leading into the summer window.
City repelled an offer from Championship rivals Nottingham Forest on January deadline day, which fell well short of their valuation for the academy talent who has scored six goals with eight assists in 21 league games this season.
But after winning January's Championship Player of the Month award, interest in Semenyo is growing with Premier League Crystal Palace and Watford monitoring his situation, while Celtic's interest has now been confirmed. Strachan took in City's 2-1 win against Reading in which Semenyo scored the opening goal.
"I had a conversation with Strachan who rang up to ask little bits of info on the player and a bit about how I found him and what he's like as a lad," Finnegan told Football Scotland.
"That was it. If it's something they're going to do in the summer window I'm not sure but it's nice to know that his talents are going as far as Scotland to one of the great institutions in world football. There's not really much more to say than that."
City are understood to value Semenyo in the £20million bracket - which could well be out of Celtic's price range - having carefully nurtured him from his late teens after being recruited from the SGS College football programme under Dave Hockaday.
After establishing himself in the first-team last season, Semenyo's progress was curtailed by knee surgery at the start of this campaign but after reclaiming a place back in the team at the start of December, and being moved into a central role, he's been in sensational form.
City have opened talks with Semenyo's representatives over an improved and extended contract, as his present deal is due to expire next summer albeit with a 12-month option also available to the Robins.
But securing the striker on terms beyond 2024 looks increasingly challenging as interest grows, with Football Scotland also reporting that RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga are among the potential suitors.
Semenyo's international aspirations could further boost his profile as the 22-year-old is due to be selected for Ghana in their World Cup qualifying play-off against Nigeria at the end of March.
City face a fight to hold onto their three prized assets this summer with Semenyo plus midfielders Han-Noah Massengo and Alex Scott all subject to varying degrees of interest from top-flight clubs.
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