Could Brighton spark Crystal Palace bidding war after failed £12m Dembele offer?

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Scottish Premiership giants Celtic do not want to sell Moussa Dembele but a move to Brighton or Crystal Palace cannot be ruled out yet.

Two of the oldest rivals in English football could be about to go head-to-head in the final week of the transfer window.

Brighton and Hove Albion are still looking for further attacking additions despite completing the club-record signing of Jurgen Locadia last week. Old adversaries Crystal Palace, meanwhile, have been frustrated in their attempts to welcome a prolific goal-scorer to Selhurst Park.

This, therefore, makes the last few days of the transfer window all the more intriguing with the Daily Record reporting that both are still keen on a deal for Celtic’s Moussa Dembele.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers told the BBC that the Frenchman would not be going anywhere this window as long as the only bids that arrive are well below his price-tag.

It is understood that the Scottish champions value their talismanic centre-forward at £20 million, but the Scottish Sun state that Brighton’s initial offer was only for as much as £12 million.

But with time ticking down and both the Seagulls and the Eagles desperate for a centre-forward capable of firing them clear of the relegation zone, expect Celtic to face another offer or two before next Wednesday.

As it stands, it appears that Brighton and Palace are the most likely destinations for Dembele if he does indeed leave Parkhead, with links to the Premier League’s big boys going cold in recent weeks.

And you wonder whether the winner of this particular tug-of-war, if there is a winner at all, could be handed a major boost in their hopes of playing Premier League football next season.