Celtic hero Frank McAvennie hopes Moussa Dembele joins West Ham if he leaves Parkhead

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Celtic striker Moussa Dembele has been attracting West Ham’s attention during the January transfer window.

Frank McAvennie has suggested to The Scottish Sun that he hopes that if Moussa Dembele leaves Celtic, he joins West Ham United, but admitted that he does not see his long-term future at either club.

Dembele has been sensational since joining the Hoops in the summer, and has understandably become one of most highly sought after players in Europe it seems – Glasgow Live reported last month that a host of Premier League giants as well as Paris Saint-Germain were monitoring his progress.

But it is seemingly the Hammers who have made the first move with The Scottish Sun reporting that a £20 million bid has been made for the 20-year-old, but has swiftly been knocked back by the Bhoys.

Celtic’s Moussa Dembele

And while McAvennie – who, of course, played for both clubs during his career – suggested that Dembele moving to the London Stadium would be his preferred option if the Frenchman does leave, he expects his future to lie elsewhere.

“Dembele would get a first-team game at West Ham, and I have no doubt he would thrive there,” he said, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

“If he does leave Celtic, that would be the club I’d like him to go to because I had some great years there.

“But for me, his long-term future is further afield. He will be a big star in Spain one day — I’m certain of that.”

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic

Though West Ham fans would not like to think that their club is being used as a stepping stone, it would perhaps represent their best chance of landing him if he deemed the Irons to be just that initially.

Slaven Bilic’s men would then be landing themselves one of the best young strikers on the continent, and there is no perhaps no reason why he himself – along with their other key players – could not elevate the team to something like the level Dembele sees himself ultimately playing at, thus strengthening their chances of keeping him long-term.

But to even get close to that stage, it appears that they will need to significantly improve their first bid if they hope to win the race for his signature.