Report details major development in CL club pursuit of Celtic player
Champions League club Chelsea have ended their pursuit of signing Celtic ace Moussa Dembele, according to a report.
The London Evening Standard claims that the Hoops are demanding a fee of £40million pound for the player, who joined the Scottish champions from Fulham in 2016.
It is understood that Chelsea made an enquiry about Dembele in the 2017 January transfer window, but a year on, they have decided in a major development that they no longer want the striker.
Dembele, who scored 32 goals last season and has scored against the likes of Manchester City and PSG in the Champions League, has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs, with Stoke and Brighton most recently interested, according to the Scottish Sun.
Injuries and squad rotation have curtailed Dembele’s appearances this season but he still has nine goals and has been scoring regularly for the French under-21 side.
Football Insider verdict
The chances of Celtic getting anything like £40million for Dembele would have to be slim and none. Perhaps it he was on 25 goals for this season already, and was on the way to 50 goals for the season, then maybe that kind of money could be realistic. But as the player has struggled with injuries his valuation will have fallen, despite the aforementioned goal against PSG. A fee of around £20million seems like a far more realistic valuation for the player, and the fee would allow the Hoops to invest strongly in their team before having another crack at the Champions League group stages.
In other Celtic news, the Hoops have been linked with Uruguayan defender Joaquin Fernandez
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