Celtic handed major transfer blow by sporting director

Keeping the UEFA Champions League group stage in their sights, Celtic must be determined to build a formidable squad for next season. The club has a few areas where they need to add reinforcements. One of those could turn out to be up front, despite the presence of Kyogo Furuhashi and Giorgos Giakoumakis, as Albian Ajeti could be on the way out after his struggles at Parkhead.

As a result, Ange Postecoglou’s side have already been linked with a few strikers. One such player is Ryan Mmaee. Currently playing for Ferencvaros in the top tier of Hungarian football, he has been on top form.

The Belgium-born Moroccan international is only 24 years of age as well, meaning there is still room for improvement. And considering the talent and potential of Mmaee, it is rather obvious why Celtic might be interested in signing him.

But while Celtic might be keen on a potential transfer, the Hungarian side appear to differ when it comes to Mmaee.

Celtic dealt a massive blow in the race to sign Mmaee

Ferencvaros sporting director, Tamas Hajnal, has claimed that he is sure that Mmaee will be staying on at the club. As reported by The Scotsman, he told Hungarian outlet NS:

"“At the moment, however, I can’t report anything specific about this.“Ryan is recovering from his injury anyway and I am sure he will stay with us this summer.”"

Ferencvaros signed the striker from Cypriot club Limassol in the summer of 2021 for a transfer fee believed to be around £675,000. It is safe to say that that valuation must have already risen significantly following his excellent performances.

According to stats from Transfermarkt, Mmaee scored 19 goals and provided 11 assists in 37 appearances for Ferencvaros.

Celtic have also been linked with Bristol City’s Antoine Semenyo, but it is excepted to take a huge transfer fee to sign him. Thus, someone like Mmaee could prove to be a brilliant alternative and while he does not appear to be available for transfer right now, if the Hoops did make a push to sign him, the situation might change.