Celtic must prioritise Fraser Forster before looking at Mohamed Elyounoussi.
If rumours are to be believed, and most of them probably shouldn’t be in January, then Celtic have been quoted £9 million to sign Mohamed Elyounoussi [The Record].
The 25-year-old has scored seven goals in 13 outings for the Hoops since joining from Southampton on a season-long loan.
And if Celtic want to keep him in Glasgow, it’ll cost them a record-equalling sum, the same amount of money as Odsonne Edouard cost 18 months ago.
But the truth is that if Neil Lennon spends money on any Southampton player this month, it simply has to be Fraser Forster.
Elyounoussi, who is injured, has been a hit at Parkhead, but it’s nothing compared to how much the Paradise faithful have fallen back in love with the English goalkeeper, also on loan from the Saints.
The 31-year-old has been far and away Celtic’s best signing of last summer and Lennon surely can’t splash the cash on Elyounoussi – who hasn’t played since November – before he wraps up a deal for Forster.
The Northern Irishman has already admitted that he’d ‘love’ to keep the big man in Glasgow [BBC Sport].
And let’s be honest, he’s going to play a bigger role than Elyounoussi in anything that Celtic achieve this season.
In fact, he has already saved a penalty in the 1-0 League Cup final win over Rangers last month, which epitomises his importance to the cause.
If Lennon’s side do win nine Premiership titles in a row come May then Forster will have had a bigger role in that than Elyounoussi, who is very talented, but there’s no justification for priorisiting a permanent deal for him over big Forster.
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