Celtic may already be preparing for life after Benjamin Nygren with their latest transfer pursuit. The Bhoys have already sold two of their best players this summer in Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels, and there is unlikely to be a third.
Those who may feel they are ready for the next step, which likely includes Nygren and Alistair Johnston, will likely be made to wait for next summer to get their moves, and both are likely to receive plenty of interest.
Johnston received interest from Everton this summer, and the Toffees could yet return with a fresh approach, while interest in Nygren seems to have cooled amid a less than ideal World Cup, but the Sweden international has bounced back in a major way.
Celtic's top scorer from last season has started this season superbly, already providing goals and assists, and often looking like the key cog in the Bhoys attack that he clearly is.
Nygren has serious talent, and it's not going to take top clubs too much longer to figure it out. The Bhoys know that, and that makes preparing for the future that much more important, especially after they failed to do so with Engels this summer.
Celtic eyeing possible Nygren replacement
According to Sky Sports, Celtic are hoping to strike a deal with Slovan Liberec to sign Ermin Mahmic. In fact, the Bhoys are so impressed by the 21-year-old attacking midfielder that they are hoping to strike a deal worth £7million plus a further £1.5million in add-ons.
That would represent a big investment in a young player, especially when you consider Celtic's record transfer fee is only around £13million, which is what they spent on Jota, though Kasper Hogh could surpass that if certain add-ons are met.
Mahmic is currently playing in the Czechia top tier, and he scored six goals in the league last season, also providing three assists. He is already a five-time Bosnia and Herzegovina international, and he scored twice in three games at the World Cup this summer. He also represented Austria as a youth player, having been born in the national.
Celtic fans will be pleased to see their club thinking ahead amid a possible Nygren departure in the next year, particularly having seen the club's lack of proactivity this summer. Nygren will be a huge loss when he eventually leaves the club, and getting his replacement right is going to be vital.
And that's not to say Mahmic cannot contribute significantly before then, of course.
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