Celtic are expected to be busy in the upcoming summer transfer window. There are a lot of areas where they need to strengthen. One of them is on the wings. It was already believed to be an area and then Jota ended up suffering a serious injury that will keep him out for the next six to nine months. So, the Hoops must bring in reinforcements on the flanks.
They have been linked with quite a few wingers in recent times. Some of them fresh names. Others have been on their radar for quite a while now.
Michel-Ange Balikwisha is a name that falls under the latter category. The Belgian winger has been on Celtic's radar going back to last year. But a move did not materialise.
In recent months, it has looked like Balikwisha is open to the idea of a summer move away from Royal Antwerp. That is good news for Celtic. The bad news, he seemingly wants to join another club.
Celtic-linked player makes transfer decision as talks open
As reported by Kevin Radio 2.0, Lens is very interested in Balikwisha, who is very keen on the idea of joining the Ligue 1 club. First contact has already been made.
So, it looks like Balikwisha wants to join Lens. Of course, this does not mean that Celtic are out of the race to sign the Belgian winger, but it certainly hurts their chances and makes things difficult.
It is not hard to see why Balikwisha is drawing so much attention. After spending a large portion of the season out injured, he is starting to show his quality once again. In 8 Jupiler Pro League Champions' Play-offs games, he has scored 3 goals and provided 3 assists.
He has scored against Anderlecht, Genk and Club Brugge while providing a couple of assists against Genk and one against Union SG. These are the top teams in Belgium and Balikwisha is making it look easy.