Ange Postecoglou appears to have put a new frontman at the very top of his shopping list as the Celtic boss looks to bag a bargain in the January sales.
Giorgos Giakoumakis looks increasingly likely to leave next month after a breakdown in contract talks with FC Midtjylland the latest club to be touted with a move for the towering Greek striker, and a January exit would Kyogo Furuhashi as the lone frontman on the books for Postecoglou as he pushes for the Scottish Premiership title. However, even if Giakoumakis does remain at Parkhead the Celtic boss looks keen to add more competition to his frontline this winter.
The Hoops' scouts have been sent across Europe to try and find the Celtic's next great goalscorer, and the moves looks to be ramping up with the January window well underway. Alistair Johnston, Tomoki Iwata and Yuki Kobayashi are already on the building and a new striker looks set to follow them through the doors at Celtic Park.
But who could be making the move to Celtic? Record Sport takes a look.
Cho Gue-sung
As it stands, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are still considering Celtic’s offer for South Korean striker Cho Gue-sung, but have admitted it's less than they expected from the Scottish Premiership champions. Jeonbuk’s chief executive officer Heo Byung-gil stated: "It's been a long time since an offer came from Celtic and the transfer fee is also lower than the club thought."
The frontman has also spoken about the club and admits he has been impressed by the influx of talent from Asia. He has stated: "Celtic have six Japanese players in its squad. As you can see there, it is a team that has invested heavily in the Asian market over the past few years and there have been talks."
Oscar Gloukh
Ange Postecoglou included the Oscar Gloukh on a list of January transfer targets in case any of Celtic ’s World Cup stars are snared from the Scottish Premiership leaders, but the 18-year-old's club Maccabi Tel Aviv are holding out of a £6million fee for the talent to let him leave this month.
Ligue 1 side Monaco appear to be leading the race for a deal, with the player's agent Shahar Greenberg admitting talks have already talking place between the two parties. He told Sport 5: "We are in discussion with AS Monaco, let's see how it develops."
Ladislav Almasi
Baník Ostrava striker Ladislav Almasi has been named on the radar with the Slovakian international also attracting interest from across Europe. However, boss Pavel Hapal insists the club have yet to receive an offer. He stated: "I have spoken to Ladislav and the club of course. Based on that information, I believe he will remain with Banik after January. There have been no concrete offers for his transfer yet although we are aware of the speculation."
Ryan Mmaee
Ryan Mmaee has previously been on Celtic's radar but has been hampered by injury this term, leading to him missing out on the African nations run to the World Cup semi-final. Following his injury woes, Ferencvaros chief Gabor Kubatov reckons he will remain with the club until at least the summer.
He said: “I was hoping that, after the World Cup, we would be able to sell the twos Mmaees (Ryan and brother Samy) for a serious amount. We could have made a big purchase out of this. "We were prepared for that. But I see the two Mmaees staying."
Said Hamulic
Stal Mielec have admitted they expect Said Hamulic to leave the club this month with the club already fielding bids for the frontman this month. President Jacek Klimek has stated: "Said Hamulic will probably leave us this winter. His transfer has not yet been agreed, but it will be difficult to keep him. We negotiate every day, we rejected a French club."
Ardon Jashari
Celtic have also been linked with a £6 million move for Swiss World Cup starlet Ardon Jashari, with Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt and Bundesliga high-fliers RB Leipzig also credited with an interest in the FC Luzern star. However, boss Mario Flick, expects the player to remain at the club beyond the winter window.
He has stated: "I was not informed either by the player himself or by our sports director Remo Meyer that there could be a change of club for Ardon soon. So that's why I'm assuming that he will play for us in the second half of the season. We need our best players and Ardon definitely falls into that category."
Casper Tengstedt
Rosenborg are set to demand a bumper fee if they are to let the Dane leave the club after just six months. After joining from AC Horsens, produced a remarkable 15 goals and nine assists in just 14 Eliteserien games, but head coach Kjetil Rekdal has played down the chances of a move to Glasgow's east end.
He said: “There have been no offers. And we have no plans to sell either. So we are taking it easy. We have no thoughts of selling in January, so something special must happen.”
Oh Hyeon-gyu
The Hoops have reportedly taken taken an interest in the South Korean star with Hyeon-gyu has previously claimed that he was keen on a move Celtic Park but has thrown down the gauntlet to Suwon by stating his desire to leave the K-League club publicly.
While Suwon have stated they won't let the player go, he has publicly stated: "Celtic, a prestigious club, gave me a good offer. I want to take this opportunity to challenge myself. I have told the club I want to go and I am waiting for the team’s position."
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