Celtic have been linked with some big-name players in recent weeks. It was recently claimed that the club had expressed an interest in signing Jack Grealish on loan from Manchester City but the player was not considering a move to Scotland, and has joined Everton instead. And earlier in the month, they were linked with Federico Chiesa of Liverpool.
As reported by Sports Boom in late July, Celtic were eyeing Chiesa on loan. The Hoops had had scouts watching the winger for some time and had been monitoring his situation on Merseyside.
Well, Chiesa did make quite the impact in Liverpool's first game of the new Premier League season as they look to defend their crown. It had looked like they were set to drop points against Bournemouth before the Italian winger cropped up with a late goal.
Ultimately, that was a vital goal and helped Liverpool earn all three points. And Chiesa has now made it clear that he wants to stay at Anfield and compete for his place in Arne Slot's team, despite all the speculation around his future. As reported by Fabrizio Romano, he said:
"I’m very happy at Liverpool! I will speak to the club but I wanna stay here and fight to win many trophies."
Federico Chiesa makes bold Liverpool claim amid Celtic rumours
Chiesa joined Liverpool last summer and only played 466 minutes of football. He cannot afford a repeat of that, especially with the World Cup coming up. So, the Italian wanting to stay at Anfield is a bold step.
He must have helped his chances in that respect with his vital goal against Bournemouth. He was brought on in the 82nd minute with Liverpool in need of something, as they were drawing 2-2. The Italian delivered, with a goal just six minutes later to help the Reds to victory.
Coming back to Celtic, it does look like the club might be eyeing a statement signing towards the end of this transfer window. The approach for Grealish led nowhere and it looks like Chiesa is keen to remain at Liverpool. Who will the Hoops end up turning their attention to next?
At this point, the only name that seems to fit the bill is Jamie Vardy. Is it a coincidence that those rumours have cropped up once again over the last few days?
Brendan Rodgers knows him well and even though he is 38 years of age, he did score 9 Premier League goals last season for a Leicester City team that got relegated. The year before, he managed 18 in 35 Championship games. Signing him as a free agent for a year might not be a bad idea at all. He'd almost certainly be an upgrade on the options Celtic currently have, even at this point in his career.
Let's see whether Celtic end up making a move for Vardy or not. One thing seems clear though, Chiesa is not headed to Parkhead, despite the speculation regarding a loan move.