Celtic have long been linked with Eupen forward Henry Onyekuru – but Premier League sides are now joining the race for his signature.
General view inside Celtic Park
Celtic failed in their January pursuit of Eupen attacker Henry Onyekuru – and may now feel that they will miss out on him altogether.
The Bhoys made just the one January signing as Ivorian midfielder Eboue Kouassi joined the club from Russian side Krasnodar, but Brendan Rodgers was keen to snap up Onyekuru as well.
Celtic made a £1million bid to sign Onyekuru in January (The Scottish Sun), but couldn’t get the deal over the line as Belgian side Eupen stood firm on their top talent.
The 19-year-old, who can play up front or out wide, has hit 14 goals in 29 appearances this season, with his exploits unsurprisingly attracting interest from clubs around Europe.
With the youngster seemingly leaving at the end of the season, Celtic may be hoping to finally land their top target this summer – but having to wait from January until June or July could see the Bhoys miss out, with more and more clubs joining the race.
The Daily Mail reported earlier this week that both Arsenal and Chelsea are now interested in signing Onyekuru, with Eupen now looking for a fee in the region of £6million, whilst The Mirror claim West Ham United are also looking to sign him as well.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers
Add in links to Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Monchengladbach, Lille and Sevilla, and it seems that Celtic may have missed their chance, as some of the biggest clubs around Europe are now hoping to snap up the Nigerian teenager.
The one lingering hope for Celtic is that Onyekuru makes a decision not too dissimilar to Moussa Dembele’s; the striker had interest from a host of clubs, but chose Celtic in order to play first-team football, and he has thrived since making the move to Glasgow.
All hope is not lost for Celtic in their pursuit of Onyekuru, but with more and more clubs joining the race for his signature, Rodgers may feel that missing out in January means that Celtic have missed out altogether.
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