Celtic have reportedly set a price of £6million for Giorgos Giakoumakis with the striker believed to have taken "the next step" in pushing for an exit.
Record Sport revealed earlier in December that contract talks have hit an impasse between the Greek striker and the club with Celtic understood to be willing to sell him now to avoid the risk of him running his value down. Giakoumakis is under contract until 2026 and is hot property after 25 goals in his first 50 games for Celtic, and after he turned 28 on Friday, there is a feeling now may be the best time to sell him to maximise the price.
South Korean striker Cho Gue-sung has been linked as a potential replacement and interest in him could step up now their World Cup campaign is over. They may want to sell Giakoumakis before making any moves, though, and it's being reported in Greece that things have taken a step forward to that end.
Sportime report that he has ditched his agent in a bid to force a transfer to the Premier League. They say he feels his time at Parkhead is nearly up as he enters the second half of his second season and is looking for "the contract of a lifetime" after making his mark.
That could explain why talks over a new deal at Celtic have collapsed and it's reported he has left agency Emmanouilidis-Pathiakis for the BHM Sports Agency - who have been tasked with brokering his exit from Parkhead. It's the same company who helped bring Carl Starfelt to Celtic Park from Rubin Kazan so they have an established working relationship.
It's claimed Giakoumakis has voiced his intent to leave, feeling Celtic's domestic wins are "routine" and he wants to challenge himself. They say Celtic want a fee of €6-7m - the higher end of that being just over £6m - to let him to next month. But there is also a suggestion he is willing to wait until the summer if that's when bigger offers will arrive.
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