Former Celtic player John Hartson is convinced that the Hoops will sell Moussa Dembele.
John Hartson
Former Celtic player and club hero, John Hartson, is convinced that the Bhoys will sell star player, Moussa Dembele, in case they receive a tempting offer in the range of £25 million.
Dembele joined the Celtic last season from Fulham for a measly fee of £4,00,000 (Daily Record). He didn’t take long to stamp his authority, and ended the 2016/17 campaign with 32 goals for the Glasgow club.
His outstanding performance didn’t go unnoticed, and the heavyweight European clubs are now vying for his signature. If the widespread reports are to be believed, clubs like Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, and AC Milan have shown an interest (GetWestLondon) in the 20-year-old striker.
Celtic are in no rush to sell any of their star players at the moment, but Hartson believes the Bhoys will sell Dembele if any potential club offer £25 million or more for him.
Celtic’s Moussa Dembele in action
The former Celtic player believes that the price being quoted is too good to reject outright. He says that Brendan Rodgers should be given a transfer war-chest (adding Champions League money as well) to rebuild the squad to his own taste.
“I think Celtic will sell Dembele if they get £25m. Chris Sutton did an interview with Brendan before the Aberdeen away game last season,” said Hartson, as quoted by the Daily Record.
“Chris said that night Brendan is in charge and they don’t have to sell anyone. That’s great, the fans want to hear that but I feel if they get a massive offer he will go.
Celtic’s Moussa Dembele celebrates scoring their first goal
“It’s okay talking about turning it down but when you actually see a bid in black and white and it says £25m then it’s difficult to turn down. If he sells Dembele and they get the right money for him then they he’ll obviously need to add another striker.
“They need quality and they’ve got money. They earned from the Champions League and if they sell Dembele then it’s the best part of £50m.
“Good managers replace good players with good players. That’s how you keep progressing. Dembele might stay and Brendan might coax him to remain for another year. That would be the ideal situation.
“But if Dembele goes he needs to get someone in sharpish. With that type of bid being talked about then when you’ve only paid £500,000 then it’s hard to turn down.”
Celtic’s Moussa Dembele scores their first goal
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