Can Celtic breathe easier as report discloses Brighton’s Moussa Dembele stance?

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Moussa Dembele had looked likely to swap the Scottish Premiership for the English Premier League with Brighton keen on the Celtic star.

Maybe Celtic can breathe a little easier this month. Because it appears that one club has ruled themselves out of the running to sign Moussa Dembele this month, and it just so happens that this club appeared the Frenchman’s most likely destination a few weeks ago.

Reports from Sky Sports that Brighton had agreed a deal to sign Dembele just after Christmas may have been a little premature but the Seagulls were certainly front and centre in the queue of clubs keen to sign Celtic’s goal-scoring star.

Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers appears to be genuinely in the dark as to whether the 21-year-old will stay or go this month. But while a whole host of other Premier League clubs including Everton and West Ham have been linked, it seems that Brighton have now drawn up other plans.

Because the Daily Mail states that Chris Hughton’s side have identified Leicester City outcast Leonardo Ulloa as a more viable and affordable target than Dembele this month.

The Argentine is expected to leave the King Power after just 19 minutes of Premier League football all season. And, unlike Dembele, Ulloa will not command a fee around the £20 million mark.

This comes just a few days after Brighton shattered their transfer record to bring in Jurgen Locadia from PSV for a fee of around £14 million, which would have drained the club’s resources considerably and probably ended any chances of funding a move for Dembele.

So Celtic’s chances of hanging on to their star man might just have got a little better.