Newcastle United and West Brom are plotting moves for Celtic’s Leigh Griffiths – but letting him go would suggest The Bhoys have a replacement in mind.
Leigh Griffiths netted his long-awaited first goals for Scotland against England
If you’re looking to drum up interest in England, netting two sublime free-kicks in a vital World Cup qualifier at Hampden Park isn’t a bad way to go.
Leigh Griffiths may have been denied legendary status in Scotland thanks to Harry Kane’s 93rd minute equaliser as England scraped a 2-2 draw on Saturday but the Celtic forward’s sublime double salvo looks to have earned him a place on the shopping list of a number of Premier League clubs.
According to The Mirror, both West Brom and Newcastle United are plotting a summer bid while Celtic may be tempted to consider offers of around £6 million.
Griffiths has netted 85 goals in 142 games for The Hoops, including 18 as Celtic sealed a domestic clean sweep last season. Yet, he only started 15 Scottish Premiership games under Brendan Rodgers last season with the manager publically demanding more from the former Wolves striker.
Therefore, it would not be a major surprise if Celtic were to be tempted into a sale – particularly as the Daily Record claim first-choice goalscorer Moussa Dembele is likely to stay despite aggressive interest from AC Milan.
However, if Celtic were to consider letting one of their main attacking options depart, this may suggest they have a genuine chance of landing one of Europe’s most highly rated young attackers.
The Scottish Sun reported recently that FC Rostov striker Sardar Azmoun has piqued Celtic’s interest. The 22-year-old rejected a move to Liverpool last year for fear of a lack of game time while Everton, Lazio and Villarreal are also understood to be interested.
Sardar Azmoun has 18 goals in 25 caps for Iran
Perhaps this is something to do with the fact that the ‘Iranian Ibrahimovic’ netted against both Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich in last season’s Champions League group stages.
The report adds that Celtic view Azmoun as a potential replacement for Dembele. Instead, however, could the youngster take Griffiths’ place at Parkhead?
Sell a key player at an inflated fee and replace him with someone younger, with potential by the bucketload; it’s almost become Celtic’s trademark.
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