Celtic braced for record-breaking bid for prolific striker – report
By Dominic Toner
German club RB Leipzig are interested in signing Celtic forward Moussa Dembele, according to a report.
The Mail claim that the Bundesliga side are prepared to join the race for the 20-year-old, who is also targeted by Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham.
The report details that Leipzig are hoping the guarantee of first team football can secure Dembele’s signature and that the club’s sporting director Ralf Rangnick has identified the youngster as a replacement for their striker Timo Werner.
“As it stands, Celtic are – either next month or next summer – poised to break all records for a transfer fee received by a Scottish club, easily dwarfing the £12.5 million they pocketed by selling Victor Wanyama to Southampton in the summer of 2013,” the Mail report.
Leipzig have drawn comparisons with reigning English champions Leicester after Claudio Ranieir’s side won the Premier League for the first time.
The German club are currently top of the Bundelisga after the opening 13 games and were only promoted to the top flight last season.
The unlikely league leaders have a three-point gap ahead of second-placed Bayern Munich and are becoming well recognised across Europe.
They are now hoping that Celtic forward Dembele can add to their squad and help them sustain their good form.
Dembele has been remarkable since his summer arrival, scoring 17 goals in 28 appearances.
The young striker has been in impressive form in Scotland and has also scored three goals in the club’s Champions League campaign.
He is now regarded as one of the biggest young talents in Europe and the Frenchman is being monitored by some of the best clubs.
Dembele has already won the Scottish League Cup with Celtic and they are in pole position to clinch the title, with a lead of eight points ahead of second-placed Rangers.
Football Insider verdict:
Celtic should make sure that Moussa Dembele stays during the January transfer window. RP Leipzig are currently enjoying a fantastic underdog story in Germany, but Dembele could play for a bigger club in the future. He has attracted some of England’s top teams already and should only move for one of them in the latter stages of his career. Dembele is currently the star man at Celtic and at 20 is only going to keep on improving. The youngster has developed nicely in his short time with the Scottish team and should continue to do so at least until the end of the season.
In other Celtic transfer news, they have made a move to sign a £9million-rated striker from the Premier League.