Sydney van Hooijdonk opens door to exit amid Celtic links

Celtic could find themselves in need of a striker in January. The AFC Asian Cup will start early next year and there is a possibility that both Kyogo Furuhashi and Oh Hyeon-gyu could be selected by their respective national teams. One would expect the likes of Japan and South Korea to make deep runs in the competition as well.

If that does turn out to be the case, Celtic could be without a recognised striker. Thus, it makes sense for them to go out and sign another centre-forward.

One player they have been linked with quite a few times over the years is Sydney van Hooijdonk. He currently plays for Bologna in the Serie A but is not having a great time there. He has not started a single league game in this campaign so far. Naturally, there are question marks over his future.

Van Hooijdonk’s father, Pierre, played for Celtic in the past. Thus, it would come as no surprise that he has been linked with a move to Parkhead himself. While he might be struggling at Bologna, he did have a very good time out on loan at Heerenveen in the Eredivisie.

Van Hooijdonk opens door to exit amid Celtic links

Van Hooijdonk has not closed the door on a possible exit from Bologna. As reported by The Scottish Sun, he said while speaking to Corriere dello Sport, he said:

"“I’m fine. I’m at a good team and I like life a lot. But I have to do what’s best for my growth. For my career. I also have to play.“In football, things can change quickly. There are two months left until January and who knows what will happen?“Now, there is Joshua who is playing a great season. Do the rumours about my possible transfer bother me?“It’s normal when you don’t play. In the last year-and-a-half, I’ve played a lot and also scored a lot.“In my opinion, Bologna isn’t the same as when I came here two years ago. Everything has improved. The level…everything. We’ll see what happens.”"

If Van Hooijdonk is available for a decent transfer fee then it might make sense for Celtic to try and sign him. He has proven during his time in the Netherlands that he is a pretty good striker and knows his way to the back of the net.

He is also just 23 years of age. Thus, Van Hooijdonk would tick a lot of the boxes that Celtic look at when signing a player.