Celtic want to sign Fabio Borini and keep Moussa Dembele – but Serie A giants AC Milan could put a spanner in the works.
John Hartson
In the 16 years since Celtic paid Coventry City £6 million for a strapping forward by the name of John Hartson (BBC), no one has come close to equalling the club’s transfer record.
Until now. According to The Chronicle, Celtic are expected to complete a deal for Sunderland striker Fabio Borini sooner rather than later, thus reuniting the Italian with Brendan Rodgers, his coach at Swansea City, Liverpool and the Chelsea academy.
While Welsh dragon Hartson netted 88 goals in 146 games for Celtic, it’s unlikely that Borini would get anywhere near that tally.
Sunderland’s Fabio Borini
After all, the hard-working forward is not exactly renowned for his goalscoring, having netted just two for Sunderland as they finished bottom of the Premier League in 2016/17.
As such, Celtic fans could be forgiven for feeling a little concerned about the prospect of Borini becoming their most expensive signing of all time.
Though, according to the Daily Mail, Italian giants AC Milan could step in to prevent Celtic making a potentially expensive mistake. The report claims that the Rossineri are keen to bring Borini back to his homeland five seasons after he netted nine Serie A goals for Roma.
However, AC Milan will not stop there. If Celtic supporters were relieved about their interest in Borini, they will be less pleased by Sky Sports reports that Milan are in talks to sign Moussa Dembele.
The Frenchman enjoyed a remarkable debut campaign at Parkhead since arriving from Fulham for just £500,000, netting 32 goals in all competitions. However, with Milan aided by huge funds provided to them by their new Chinese owners, they are planning to throw their weight around in the transfer market – starting with Dembele.
Celtic’s Moussa Dembele
Therefore, Milan may be about to rain on Rodgers’ summer plans.
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