Celtic linked with transfer move for in-form 24-year-old

Celtic signed nine players in the summer transfer window, with seven arriving on a permanent basis while two were brought in on loan deals. But the club are expected to be active when it comes to making signings, in January as well. There are still a few gaps in Brendan Rodgers’ squad that need to be filled.

Celtic fans would be hoping for some experienced and established names. However, getting such deals done in the middle of the season is pretty difficult unless the players are struggling at their current teams.

They are being linked with another player who most would view as a ‘project’ signing though. He is currently playing his football in the second division in Germany.

As tweeted out by Ben Heckner, Celtic are interested in Kanji Okunuki from FC Nurnberg. The Scottish club have scouted the Japanese player intensively in recent weeks. But there is no concrete offer yet.

Celtic linked with transfer move for in-form 24-year-old

Okunuki is a very versatile player who can play in a number of roles in the final third of the pitch. He seems comfortable playing as a second striker, in the number 10 role, as a centre-forward or out on the wings.

Thus, it is not hard to understand why Celtic might be interested in signing someone like him. The fact that he has a decent bit of European experience already will be viewed as a positive as well.

It remains to be seen if Celtic end up making a move for Okunuki in the near future. He has been a man in form this season. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he has scored 4 goals and provided 2 assists in 15 appearances for FC Nurnberg.

FC Nurnberg sit 8th in the 2. Bundesliga table. But things are tight in the second division and they are just 6 points off the top. So would the club let him leave in January?