Wilfried Nancy sets sights on signing ‘perfect’ striker in January ahead of Celtic arrival
Wilfried Nancy is already targeting a transfer raid on Columbus Crew as he edges closer to becoming the new Celtic manager.
Celtic are days away from entering a new era under highly-rated Columbus Crew manager Wilfried Nancy as a permanent replacement for Brendan Rodgers.
Football Insider recently revealed that Nancy is available to move to Celtic immediately after his Columbus side were dumped out of the MLS play-offs, and he has been the frontrunner for the job for the last few weeks.
Nancy is now in advanced talks with Celtic over becoming their new boss, but is not due to be in place for either of their next two games with Martin O’Neill remaining in interim charge.
Celtic chiefs are set to back Nancy in January, according to Football Insider’s sources, and one of his current strikers could be set to follow him to Glasgow following new developments.
Nancy wants Celtic to sign Wessam Abou Ali in January
Sources say Nancy is set to target a January move for Columbus Crew striker Wessam Abou Ali when he becomes Celtic boss soon.
The 48-year-old is known to be “a massive fan” of the Palestine striker, and he views him as the “perfect” addition after identifying an urgent need to strengthen the Hoops’ attacking options.
Abou Ali has only been with Columbus since a July move from Egypt’s Al-Ahly, whom he netted a hat-trick for against Porto in the recent Club World Cup prior to his move stateside.
The 26-year-old has only played five times for the MLS side, but scored in three consecutive outings prior to picking up a season-ending injury in September.
His recent move means he is under contract with the Crew until 2027, and they also have a one-year extension option, so Celtic will have to pay over-the-odds to sign him in the new year.
Celtic could do double raid on Columbus with Diego Rossi targeted
Celtic are in pretty clear need of a new striker in the January window with Kelechi Iheanacho out injured and the likes of Johnny Kenny, Shin Yamada and Callum Osmand all unlikely to be enough to help them win the Premiership.
Potential interest in Abou Ali is fresh news, but the club are known to be targeting additions from the MLS due to Nancy’s in-depth knowledge of the league.
Football Insider revealed last week that Nancy is likely to utilise the MLS market as Celtic boss, with Columbus Crew attacker Diego Rossi previously linked to the Hoops.
Rossi scored 16 goals and picked up five assists in the MLS last season, so clearly thrives under Nancy, and he could well join Abou Ali in making a move across the pond in the new year.