Celtic handed Michel-Ange Balikwisha transfer boost

Celtic's transfer activity has picked up pace in recent days. The club have confirmed a couple of signings, bringing in Viljami Sinisalo from Aston Villa while Kasper Schmeichel has arrived as a free agent. A permanent move for Paulo Bernardo does not seem to be far away either. And one would expect there to be more arrivals over the summer.

One of the most interesting names Celtic have been linked with in recent times is Michel-Ange Balikwisha. The Belgian winger currently plays for Royal Antwerp.

It is believed that it could take a transfer fee around €9 million sign Balikwisha from Royal Antwerp this summer. That kind of a figure would immediately make him one of the most expensive signings in Celtic history.

It remains to be seen if the Hoops end up making a move for Balikwisha or not. But it is safe to say that Celtic fans will find Royal Antwerp boss Jonas De Roeck's recent comments interesting. As reported by the Daily Record, he told Het Nieuwsblad:

"It's not nice for a coach, but part of the game, un today's transfer system with a market that is open until early September.

"If I have to take that into account now, then it is difficult to build something. It is human that some players could perform less due to uncertainty. But whether their future lies with Antwerp or elsewhere, I want to get those guys on board with my story, so that they are ready for when the matches with stakes come."

Celtic handed Michel-Ange Balikwisha transfer boost

Let's see how things play out in the Balikwisha transfer saga moving forward. Someone like him would be an ambitious signing on the part of Celtic though.

It has been a long time since Celtic shelled out that kind of a transfer fee to sign someone. The last one was Christopher Jullien.

Balikwisha is 23 years of age, has represented Belgium at a number of youth international levels consistently and has been putting up solid numbers for Royal Antwerp for a few years now. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he scored 10 goals and provided 8 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions last season.

Balikwisha is a winger and mostly plays on the left flank, where Celtic already have Daizen Maeda. The 23-year-old is capable of playing on the opposite side as well.