Mohamed Elyounoussi would cost Celtic quite a lot of money if they want to pursue him.
Let’s face it, Mohamed Elyounoussi has been a great signing for Celtic.
The Hoops brought him to Parkhead on a season-long loan from Southampton and the 25-year-old, when fit, has dazzled in a big way.
In 13 games across all competitions, the Celtic winger has netted seven goals and that’s a very decent return.
According to The Record, the Bhoys would have to pay a record-equalling £9 million to sign him on a long-term basis and, well, Neil Lennon would be mad to go along with it.
Yes, Elyounoussi looks like he has the beating of most players in the Scottish Premiership, but he hasn’t played since November due to injury.
That’s the first problem when it comes to Celtic potentially paying a staggering amount of money for him.
The other is that he isn’t proven over a long period of time as of yet.
Brendan Rodgers spent precisely that same figure on Odsonne Edouard, the club’s record signing at £9 million, but the French striker was a lot younger and had just proven himself to Rodgers and Peter Lawwell over the course of a season-long loan.
Plus, there is tremendous re-sale value with Edouard who might just fetch more than the £19.7 million that Celtic received for Moussa Dembele 18 months ago.
Elyounoussi is a 25-year-old winger who has flopped at Southampton following a £16 million switch. Even if he does join the Scottish Premiership champions and kills it over the next year-and-a-half, no bigger club is going to be beating down Lennon’s door to sign him.
He seems to be a cracking player with a lot of talent, but ‘seems‘ doesn’t quite cut it when gauging whether to spend £9 million on him, especially when he’s injured right now.
For that sort of money, you do wonder whether the club should let him go back to England at the end of his loan.
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