Celtic have targeted Ryan Mmaee as Ange Postecoglou looks to bolster his squad for their Champions League quest, as exclusively revealed by the Daily Record on Thursday night.
It’s five years since the Hoops were last in club football’s biggest prize and the Parkhead side will be looking to make sure they are as best equipped as possible.
Mmaee would help add firepower to the Celtic ranks to complement the likes of Kyogo and Giorgos Giakoumakis.
He contributed to a staggering 30 goals for Ferencvaros last season with 11 assists on top of 19 scored for the Hungarians.
Those kind of statistics are sure to excite the Hoops legions and here Record Sport takes a look at the latest Parkhead target.
Who is Ryan Mmaee?
The striker is currently at Hungarian side Ferencvaros where he bagged 19 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions last season, helping them to win their 33th domestic title.
The 24-year-old moved to the Groupama Arena at the start of the season from Cypriot side AEL Limassol where he spent two seasons although didn’t win any silverware on the island where Neil Lennon won his first trophy on Thursday might.
Mmaee started his professional career in Belgium with Standard Liege but struggled to become a regular with loan moves to Waasland-Beveren and Aarhus.
Should Celtic fans be excited?
His goal stats alone (11 assists on top of his 19 goals scored) should be enough for anyone to stand up and take notice.
Mmaee can play as a central striker but is also effective on the left hand side and his style would see him a perfect fit for Ange Postecoglou.
Quick feet, an eye for goal and powerful and strong, he is likened to fellow Belgian-born striker Michy Batshuayi who is currently on loan at Besiktas from Chelsea.
His stats for last season were on a par with Kyogo’s for Celtic and given the Japanese star’s impact at Parkhead that wouldn’t be a bad addition.
Any history with Celtic?
Yes. Mmaee played for 90 minutes in Ferencvaros’ 2-0 Europa League defeat in Glasgow last season and came off the bench for the final 23 minutes of the 3-2 loss in Budapest.
A superb goal-saving tackle by Anthony Ralston denied him at Parkhead as he almost found the net.
But it was actually his brother Samy, a club and Moroccan international team-mate, who was talked about after the game at Parkhead.
The centre back aimed a sly boot at Kyogo which pundits and former Parkhead stars Paul Lambert and Chris Sutton both said merited more than the yellow card he was shown.
International career
Mmaee was born in Belgium to a Moroccan mum and Cameroonian father and as such was eligible to play for all three nations.
He played for Belgium at both Under-19 and Under-21 level before opting for Morocco at senior level – and could meet the country of his birth at the Qatar World Cup.
The striker has been capped seven times for the Atlas Lions after declaring for Morocco last year but injury has ruled him out of Vahid Halilhodzic’s squad for next month’s AFCON qualifiers against Liberia and South Africa.
Mmaee featured for Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations at the start of the year, playing twice as they lost to Egypt in the quarter finals.
Anything else of interest?
Mmaee might not have had great success on the pitch during his spell in Cyprus but he made the headlines for a terrifying incident off the park.
Local media reported how he “was pulled out of wreckage after his vehicle crashed into a car dealership, injuring an employee who was inside” after his SUV collided with a car. Thankfully he escaped unhurt.
