Aissa Laidouni will ‘probably’ leave Ferencvaros after impressing at the Qatar World Cup, president Gabor Kubatov tells Ulloi ut 129 amid interest from Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic.
The reigning Scottish Premiership champions have cast their net far and wide in pursuit of value for money since hiring the former Australia boss as Neil Lennon’s successor in the summer of 2021. From Israel to Japan, Russia to Portugal.
One market they are yet to dip their toe into, however, is the Hungarian one.
That could soon change, however; FootMercato reporting that Tunisia international Aissa Laidouni is a £3.5 million target.
A deep-lying, 26-year-old midfield powerhouse, Laidouni’s arrival would ease the burden on the shoulders of captain Callum McGregor. The Tunisian averages more tackles per game (1.8, WhoScored) than anyone currently at Postecoglou’s disposal.
With four goals and seven assists last season, Laidouni is also capable of contributing in the final third.
Celtic could sign Ferencvaros ace Aissa Laidouni after impressing at the Qatar World Cup
And, while Kabutov expects Samy and Ryan Mmaee to stay at Ferencvaros – the latter has also been linked with Celtic – the FTC president would not be surprised to see Laidouni head for the exit after catching the eye in Qatar.
“Our budget is now the smallest in the Europa League,” explains Kubatov. “But we use that money very efficiently.
“I was hoping that, after the World Cup, we would be able to sell the twos Mmaees and Laidouni for a serious amount. We could have made a big purchase out of this. We were prepared for that. But I see the two Mmaees staying, while Laidouni will probably be taken.”
Kabutov, just last week, admitted that Ferencvaros are ‘open to negotiations’ ahead of the January transfer window. Laidouni could potentially act as a long-term successor for Oliver Abildgaard at Parkhead, with the Rubin Kazan-owned loanee set to return to Russia upon the expiry of his short-term Celtic contract.
The Glasgow giants have already signed Alistair Johnston and Yuki Kobayashi ahead of the winter window. Postecoglou believes that a third new face is now ‘pretty close’ to arriving; Said Hamulic, Cho Gue-Sung and Ivan Fresneda also on the radar.
In the meantime, both Josip Juranovic and Giorgios Giakoumakis are facing uncertain futures. The former is a target for the likes of Barcelona, West Ham and Chelsea. The latter could also depart after contract talks broke down.
According to The Sun, English, German and Middle Eastern clubs are keen on the free-scoring Giakoumakis.
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