Celtic transfer bulletin as Nicolas Kuhn bid 'lodged' and Brondby take defiant Mathias Kvistgaarden stance
The Hoops are yet to bring any fresh faces into the building as Brendan Rodgers eyes January 'quality' additions.
Celtic fans are still eagerly awaiting some big incoming transfer news as Brendan Rodgers bids to add real 'quality' to his ranks.
And it seems that may well be edging closer. It is reported that the Hoops have made their move for Rapid Vienna winger Nicolas Kuhn and tabled a FIRST offer. Football Scotland claim the opening bid is just shy of what his current employers are looking for but the champions are ready to return to the table with a second approach in a bid to land one of their top targets. The Vienna side are also already hunting a potential replacement as they look set to lose the 24-year-old. Sporting Director Markus Katzer confessed: “Once we reach a certain amount, we have to think about it.”
Meanwhile, in the striker ranks, Kyogo Furuhashi remains the Hoops' key man and the club were handed a major boost after Japan opted against handing him a call-up to their Asian Cup squad. Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate did get the shout as did fellow front men Oh and Yang for South Korea. That has left attacking options slim for the champions ahead of the return from the winter shutdown and one man who has been of interest is Mathias Kvistgaarden but his club side Brondby are adamant he is going nowhere this month.
Kvistgaarden has been on the radar of the champions with Danish reports claiming last summer that Celtic had a bid rejected for the attacker. But current club chief Carsten V Jensen says his 21-year-old prized asset or other key men such as wide-midfielder Nicolai Vallys will not be sold in this window. Coach Jesper Sorensen’s side are in a three-way title fight with FC Midtjylland and FC Copenhagen and want to keep their stars to try and win the Superliga.
Jensen said: “We have made a decision that we have entered a transfer window where we do not sell our best players. In other words, we are not going to sell out of the opportunities we have created in the autumn in order to go all the way this season in the Super League.
“We are in a strong financial position where we must take advantage of the sporting success we achieved in the autumn. That’s why we have to keep the squad together. The current squad has only been together for three and a half months.
“The potential is great, and we have a strong belief that we can develop and get better with the group we have assembled. That is why it is important to keep our squad together.”
Elsewhere, a report claims that interest in full-back Tiago Araujo has cooled off. The Estoril defender was reported to be the subject of an approach by Celtic back in November to check up on details and an asking price but Football Scotland say that's the last time the champions have been at the table over the 22-year-old.
The same report states his current club side expect to net a fee in the region of £4million for the player, which would be too good an offer from them to turn down. He also has admirers from Italy's Serie A.