Celtic lost their talisman to Lyon on Friday evening, after a bitter fall-out between him and Brendan Rodgers.
Herald Scotland has reported that Celtic decided to sell Moussa Dembele after the Frenchman told manager Brendan Rodgers in training on Friday that he’d never play for him again.
The 22-year-old striker forced a £19.7 million move to Lyon on deadline day.
Speculation about Dembele’s future had dominated the back pages in Scotland toward the end of the transfer window, but the Hoops were refusing to sell until a replacement was lined up.
But Herald Scotland claims that stance had to be scrapped following a training-ground argument between Rodgers and Dembele, in which the latter threatened to down tools, the report says.
That alleged bust-up in training would have come a day after the former Fulham star posted a couple of cryptic messages on Twitter, which some fans – including Chris Sutton – believed were aimed at Rodgers for blocking his move.
Rodgers must make do with Leigh Griffiths and Odsonne Edouard as his primary striking options from now until January and hope that it is enough to fend off the increasing threat of Steven Gerrard’s Rangers, who visit Parkhead in an Old Firm derby this afternoon.
In theory, the Northern Irish manager should be well equipped to sign a striker in January, having received such a large amount for Dembele – who he signed for £500,000 in 2016 – but January will seem a long, long way away if Griffiths and Edouard don’t do the business.
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