Celtic have used Moussa Dembele sparingly this season. Could they regret it?
The future of Celtic striker Moussa Dembele is very much up in the air, with the battle for his signature 12 months ago very much becoming a distant memory.
Last January, Europe’s top clubs like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were linked, while West Ham had a bid rejected and so did Chelsea.
The Evening Standard report Chelsea have now cooled their interest, while Brighton are hesitating over making a £18 million bid.
Last season the figures discussed for Dembele reached £40 million, now it appears Celtic might only get half that.
So why the decreased interest?
Dembele’s tally of four goals this season in the Scottish Premiership neatly sums up the problem.
The Frenchman had a slow start after injury meant he did not feature until September, but manager Brendan Rodgers has not helped him.
Rodgers has deliberately rotated Dembele, perhaps keen to plan for the future after he goes, but in doing so they have helped kill the market for the forward.
He has not started two games in a row in the Premiership since November, and completed 90 minutes just once all season.
The French striker has been unable to get into a rhythm, and it is little wonder his performance and price tag have been depreciating.
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