Can Celtic keep hold of Moussa Dembele for two or three more years in the hope Jack Aitchison steps up?
Celtic striker Moussa Dembele has had a dream season so far and his form has sparked interest from clubs across Europe.
Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are among the teams interested, The Sun reported, while The Mirror recently linked Liverpool with a £20 million bid.
Celtic’s Moussa Dembele scores their third goal
Celtic are determined to keep the striker, and with good reason after his prolific start at the club.
His departure seems inevitable at some stage, but Celtic do not have to sell this January or even next summer.
The best case scenario is they keep hold of Dembele for another two to three seasons, and hope young talent Jack Aitchison can develop into his natural replacement.
Celtic’s Jack Aitchison scores their seventh goal
Aitchison became Celtic’s youngest ever goalscorer at just 16 when he netted on his debut for the club at the end of last season in a 7-0 win over Motherwell.
He is highly rated by the club’s academy staff due to his regular goals at youth level. This season he has scored three goals in the UEFA Youth League for Celtic’s under-19 side, and also helped the club’s under-23 side record an impressive win against Aston Villa in the Premier League International Cup.
During his short career so far he has risen to every challenge put in front of him, but expecting him to replicate Dembele’s outstanding form in the first team on a regular basis should the Frenchman leave this season would be too much to ask.
In a couple of seasons however, that could be very different, and by time Aitchison is 18 or 19, Celtic will hope he is ready to assume the mantel.
Celtic will no doubt get big money for Dembele when he does depart to spend on a top striker, but they may already have his replacement waiting and training in the wings, and acquiring him won’t cost a penny.
Celtic’s Jack Aitchison celebrates scoring on his debut
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