Charlie Wyke has held further talks with Celtic over the last couple of days, with the Northern Echo reporting that the Sunderland striker would choose the Scottish giants over a move to Nottingham Forest.
On paper at least, a forward who scored a career-best 30 goals last season would be a welcome addition to a Hoops side who, during a miserable 2020/21 campaign, were more profligate than prolific.
Ignore the numbers, however, and Celtic’s interest in Wyke raises eyebrows and questions alike.
This, after all, is a 28-year-old who has never played at a higher level than the third tier of English football.
Standing at 6ft 2ins, can a striker most effective when throwing himself at crosses and set-pieces really thrive in a team coached by Ange Postecoglou, a manager renowned for his patient, possession-based game plan?
Is Charlie Wyke leaving Sunderland for Celtic?
Whether Wyke is the right man to take Odsonne Edouard’s place in the Celtic attack remains to be seen.
The former Hartlepool United talisman will be given the chance to prove his doubters wrong, however, with the Echo reporting that a deal is edging ever closer.
Wyke, who will be a free agent at the end of this month, held another round of talks with the Celtic chiefs over the last couple of days.
The late-blooming number nine is also a target for Millwall, Cardiff City and Nottingham Forest but would choose a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at Parkhead over a summer switch to the Championship.
And who can blame him, really?
Celtic, if they can get their act together under the bold and ambitious Postecoglou, will be fighting for silverware in 2021/22.
Should the Hoops make a better fist of a grueling qualification phase this time around, Wyke could soon be swapping the weeds and the thistles of League One for the glitz and glamour of the Champions League.
“The big man has been brilliant,” said Sunderland assistant Jamie McAllister recently, via Chronicle.
“He gives us a lot, a platform to play off, he can run in behind, he has good touch, and he is dangerous in the box.
“His all-round game is good, but he has now added goals to it.”
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