Celtic could do with another striker at this point of time. Kyogo Furuhashi and Giorgos Giakoumakis have not been at their clinical best this season. On top of that, rumours have suggested that the Greek international could be on his way out, after failing to agree a contract extension. The Hoops have being linked with Cho Gue-sung, but should they look towards their past to move forward in the future?
One of the best players that Celtic have had in the past decade or so is Moussa Dembele. The Frenchman did leave Parkhead back in 2018 to join Lyon. There he has had his ups and downs, but overall, he has been a big success.
His current deal runs out at the end of this season though and as a result, Dembele’s future at Lyon is up in the air. There is a belief that the French club could be willing to let him leave for a bargain fee this January, rather than see him walk out as a free agent some months later.
Some rumours coming out of Turkey have even suggested that Galatasaray have made an initial offer of around €5 million for Dembele. For that kind of a fee, a lot of Celtic fans want the club to bring him back to Parkhead.
If moussa dembele is available for 5 million I would happily sign him
— joe walker (@CelticWalks67) December 7, 2022
Surely Celtic go in for Moussa Dembele if he’s available so cheap, wee discount with the sell on clause too 👀
— GLEN (@GlenStefani97) December 8, 2022
Celtic fans want club to bring back striker on bargain deal
We don’t need to talk about Dembele’s contributions for Celtic. He was one of the best that the club have had in a long, long time and a player for the big occasion as well. The Frenchman has been impressive in a Lyon shirt as well though, crossing the 15-goal mark in a Ligue 1 season on three occasions till now.
There are two problems with bringing back Dembele though. The first is that nobody knows what kind of a fee Lyon would actually let him go for. Even if a €5 million transfer bid was made, it does not look like anything has been accepted yet.
On the other hand, while it is clear that Dembele loves Celtic, it is hard to see him coming back to Parkhead in the middle of his prime. He can easily move to a Premier League club, and has been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal even recently. The fact of the matter is that the Hoops cannot match the salary that teams down south would be offering him.
So, while Dembele returning to Celtic for a second stint looks perfect on paper, there is very little chance of it actually happening.