With the January transfer window just a matter of weeks away, Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou is believed to be plotting to strengthen his ranks even further, with a new centre-forward addition having been mooted in recent months.
That search for a striker has now been amplified as a result of Giorgos Giakoumakis’ uncertain future at Parkhead, with the Greece international believed to have particularly caught the attention of clubs in Saudi Arabia.
While the likes of Cho Gue-sung and Ross Stewart have been rumoured as potential options ahead of next month, the Old Firm giants could well be better served turning to a familiar face in the form of Lyon marksman, Moussa Dembele.
Although there have been no direct links regarding a reunion with the Frenchman, the Hoops have been urged to sign the former Celtic Park hero in the New Year by pundit Alan Hutton, with the former Scotland international stating:
“I do not see why you would not [bring him back to Scotland]. He was excellent during his time at Celtic, he obviously got the big-money move. If we are talking £4m it would be a no-brainer.
“He knows the club, he knows what it is all about. He has still got that connection with the fans, he likes his little dig at Rangers now and then so he obviously loves to be involved in all of that.
“I still think he has got a lot to give but I do not think Celtic would be his only option at that kind of price. I think strikers are hard to come by at that level so I am sure he will have other options as well.“
The now-retired full-back was speaking amid reports that the 26-year-old could be set to join Turkish side Galatasaray for a fee of just over £4m, with the one-time Fulham ace having just six months remaining on his existing deal at his current side.
It could well prove to be Postecoglou’s best business yet if he can bring Dembele back to the club, with the 6-foot sensation having previously thrived in the green and white jersey after signing from Craven Cottage in 2016.
That reported £500k fee proved to be a total bargain as the “scoring machine” – as described by journalist Bertrand Latour – went on to score 51 goals and register 18 assists in just 94 games for the Bhoys under Brendan Rodgers, notably proving a constant thorn in the side of rivals Rangers with seven goals and four assists in just ten meetings with the Ibrox outfit.
That included a hat-trick against the Gers in a 5-1 thrashing in September 2016, becoming the first Bhoys player to score a treble against the club’s foes since 1973, with the Pontoise-born menace quickly endearing himself to the Celtic faithful as a result.
The only negative to the striker’s time at the club was that it was altogether too brief, with Rodgers no doubt reluctantly sanctioning his exit for a fee of around £20m on deadline day in the summer of 2018.
To potentially be able to bring the £68k-per-week man back to Paradise for roughly a fifth of that sale price would surely constitute great business for Postecoglou, particularly with the former France U21 international still boasting a strong scoring record at his current side, with 69 goals in 156 games to date.
Such an addition could well help solve the Hoops’ current European woes, having paid the “ultimate price” for their profligacy – according to the title-winning coach – after netting only four times in this season’s Champions League group stage.
Dembele’s return should ease those woes with the one-time Atletico Madrid loanee having previously scored four goals in just ten games in Europe’s premier competition during his previous spell in Glasgow.
Postecoglou is no doubt an already popular man among Hoops supporters, although bringing the Lyon man back to the club would only enhance that affection even further.
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