Celtic will have to pay £7 million for Nathanael Mbuku after making an enquiry this week about Reims’ teen sensation, as reported by FootMercato.
While Boulaye Dia has taken Ligue 1 by storm this season, rivalling Kylian Mbappe for the Golden Boot and catching the eye of countless Premier League clubs, another Reims striker is also in high demand.
18-year-old Mbuku has featured in all but five of his side’s games in 2020/21; his sparkling footwork and precision dribbling marking the emergence of another rough diamond in the self-proclaimed ‘League of Talents’.
Mbuku opened his senior goal-scoring account in stunning style too, with a magnificent overhead kick in October’s 4-0 thrashing of high-flying Montpellier.
A sign of things to come, perhaps.
Mbuku is arguably the most exciting talent to emerge at Reims in generations and his price-tag certainly reflects that.
FM states that interested suitors, such as Parma and Celtic, will need to part with £7 million.
Only one player in Celtic history cost more than that, although comparisons will inevitably be drawn between Mbuku and record-signing Odsonne Edouard – another gifted Frenchman who arrived at Parkhead as a little-known teenager in 2017.
FM adds that Lille are also keen and Les Dogues have a remarkable track record when it comes to discovering young wingers with vast potential, from Nicolas Pepe to Eden Hazard, Gervinho to Rafael Leao.
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