Where do Celtic not need signings? That is the question the fans are asking themselves after this season has quickly gone off the tracks for the Hoops. The defeat at the hands of Hearts at the weekend has left them trailing Derek McInnes' side by eight points going into November. Absolutely nobody would have predicted this at the start of the campaign.
Now, many might feel that sooner or later, Hearts are going to fade away, just like Aberdeen last season. But that does not mean that the Hoops do not need to improve.
Far from it. Celtic need to make as many signings as possible in January because this current squad is clearly not up to the task. Nowhere near it.
They could definitely do with a striker. They never really replaced Kyogo. And while Kelechi Iheanacho looked bright early on, his form has faded and he has also picked up an injury, leaving Brendan Rodgers with Johnny Kenny and Shin Yamada to pick the number 9 from.
Celtic informed striker is available in January after €8m bid was rejected
One striker that Celtic did try to sign in the summer was Louis Munteanu of CFR Cluj. And it looks like the Romanian international is going to be available in January.
As reported by FootballTransfers, Celtic have been informed that CFR Cluj are eager to part ways with Munteanu during the January transfer window. He was one of their top targets in the summer and they even saw an €8 million offer rejected by the Romanian side.
Munteanu scored 25 goals last season and it is believed CFR Cluj wanted £20 million in the summer, which they did not receive. Since then, his form has declined considerably with the striker scoring just twice in 14 games in the ongoing campaign. Is it a result of the uncertainty around his future or will he turn out to be a one-season wonder?
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Munteanu. But a move to Celtic might be complicated to pull off. It is worth remembering that Rodgers is most likely headed out the exit door in the summer. Will the club make a significant investment in the squad in the window before that? That feels unlikely, especially when you look at how rarely they have loosened the purse strings over the years. The club are much more likely to write it off as a failed season and rebuild next year, like they did in 2021.