Celtic most likely to sign former Barcelona target once valued at £85m

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Scottish Premiership champions Celtic are currently the most likely destination for Jordan Larsson after the Swedish striker left Russian giants Spartak Moscow on a free transfer, as reported by RB Sport. 

Clearly, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

Larsson Jr might not be quite as prolific as his legendary father – former Hoops hero Henrik – but a tally of 15 goals in 31 games during the 2020/21 Russian Premier League season is proof of what the Dutch-born 25-year-old is capable of.  

It’s not that long since Larsson was being tipped to replace the Erling Haaland at Borussia Dortmund, via Goal. West Ham United and even Barcelona showed an interest too. 

“We know Jordan Larsson is a big target for Barcelona,” said Spartak president Leonid Fedun, per The Sun. “But he is also a very important player for us. Let Barcelona give us 100 million euros (£85 million) to complete the transfer.” 

Now, slapping a staggering £85 million price-tag on Larsson’s head – in public too – was probably an attempt to warn any suitors that the free-scoring centre-forward would not be going anywhere on the cheap, more than anything else. But if Larsson can perform at Celtic like he did earlier on in his Spartak Moscow career, there is no reason why he cannot follow in his father’s footsteps on the green side of Glasgow. 

Could Celtic really land Jordan Larsson after Russia exit?

Larsson – after terminating his contract with Spartak following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – is reportedly a target for clubs in Italy and Germany. RB Sport believe that Celtic are currently his most likely destination however.  

West Ham are looking elsewhere, Dortmund have signed Sebastien Haller while Barcelona’s interest has long since dried up.

“If Jordan Larsson was to sign for Celtic, that would be a great signing,” Sweden legend Marcus Allback said.

“Jordan is a great player and has a lot of good qualities that he could bring to the team. He’s not the tallest, but he is strong. His mentality of working hard and always making runs, taking on players and his effort to defend, is something that would suit playing for Celtic.

“If there is any pressure in Scotland, there is no doubt that Jordan will deal well with it.” 

Celtic are hardly short of goalscorers. But, assuming Albian Ajeti remains outside of Ange Postecoglou’s plans, then Giorgios Giakoumakis is the only classic ‘number nine’ in the Hoops squad. Larsson would give them a second.