Celtic told transfer fee they must pay for in-form star in January

It’s hardly anytime since the summer transfer window closed but it’s not too early for speculation about potential Celtic deals in the January transfer window.

With some great displays under his belt, there is a growing clamour for a move to Be made from loan to permanent signing for Mohamed Elyounoussi. Celtic did very well to secure his services for this season quite early in the summer transfer window. There was a thought as the window closed that Southampton regretted the deal as they had to sign Theo Walcott to help fill that position in the Saints’ squad.

If that’s the case and Elyounoussi continues his good run of form then it could make a permanent deal more expensive and difficult for the Hoops. He helped his reputation greatly at the weekend with a great hattrick in Celtic’s 4-1 away win against Motherwell.

He is certainly keeping his manager happy. Neil Lennon quickly dismissed criticism of the player and ignored the media trying to create a storm over Elyounoussi and his phone habits. Despite a dull appearance in the Sparta Prague defeat, the Norwegian has been in great form overall. From his 18 appearances this season he has 10 goals and 4 assists, pretty impressive to say the least.

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What’s the likelihood and feasibility of the player signing for the Hoops in January? Well it might be a long shot for a hot shot. If Elyounoussi continues his form and notches up more goals, things could get awkward and expensive for Celtic.

More success may mean the player fancies his chances in a bigger league, back at Southampton or elsewhere. More success on the pitch also means his asking price could rise. Football Insider quote a Celtic source as indicating a likely fee of around £8-£10 million to sign the player on a permanent deal in January, potentially rising after then with his Saints contract running till 2023.

Is a January deal likely? It’s not impossible and may be sensible in purely monetary terms. It is though a huge sum to spend in the middle of the season and if there was any doubt regarding the manager remaining for the following season then it starts to lose sense as it is costly deal to strike for a player who might not be in the plans in the future.