Celtic have been warned that Banik Ostrava are under no pressure to cash in on Ladislav Almasi amid speculation linking the free-scoring striker with Ange Postecoglou’s Premiership champions, via Sport SK.
It may have slipped your mind, given that goals were not exactly in short supply for the Hoops throughout 2021/22, but Postecoglou is not exactly overloaded with number nines.
Albian Ajeti remains a Celtic player by contract only. Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda are probably too flexible and mobile than classic ‘centre-forwards’. So that leaves Giorgios Giakoumakis as the only natural, penalty-box poacher at Parkhead.
This may explain those Almasi links.
The 23-year-old Slovakian is certainly more Giakoumakis than Kyogo. Stick a cross in the mixer and watch him leap like a salmon and power it into the back of the net. Almasi, as you might expect given his 6ft 5ins frame, is a menace in the air. Half of his 16 strikes in all competitions last season came with his head.
And according to Roman Vojtek, Almasi’s agent, that eye for goal has not gone unnoticed across the continent.
Celtic reportedly like Slovakia striker Ladislav Almasi
“He is being monitored by clubs from several countries. (This is) is completely natural. He is a player playing in a good league, where he has scored 16 goals, and is also a national team player,” Vojtek explains.
“With his performances and statistics, he’s attracted a wider range of clubs who are now following him.”
Almasi started up top – albeit without finding the net – during Banik’s 4-2 pre-season defeat to Celtic earlier this month. The Czech club are under no pressure to sell, however, with three years remaining on his current deal.
“He has a long-term contract. Furthermore, the club itself is so stable that it does not have to sell its mainstays,” Vojtek adds. “On the other hand, it is not at all excluded that an offer will come this summer that all interested parties will want to deal with.
“If an opportunity comes along that makes sporting and financial sense, we can all sit down at the table together. That hasn’t happened yet. But we still have a month and a half of the transfer window.
“If something happens, it can easily be in the direction of one of the top European leagues.”
Banik coach Pavel Vrba was quizzed about Celtic’s interest in the aftermath of that friendly. He was reluctant to give too much away, however.
“I do not know about it,” he tells iSport. “We’ll see what happens. If (Almasi) receives an offer and the owner says it is interesting, we will deal with it.”
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