Crystal Palace have enquired about Celtic’s Mousa Dembele with Roy Hodgson keen to add firepower to his squad, according to The Sun.
The newspaper claim that the Hoops are desperate to hold on to the striker but would be tempted by a big-money offer from Palace.
The Sun report Hodgson is keen on the 21-year-old as Palace have only managed to score 21 goals in 23 league matches.
Dembele is being chased by several Premier League teams according to a report by The Sun earlier this month, which revealed Stoke City, Brighton, Everton and West Ham were interested.
The same report believed the Seagulls were going to table a £20million bid for the striker, with Brendan Rodgers willing to sell him for the right price.
Dembele regularly features for the Bhoys, despite the interest in him, and has scored eight goals in 21 appearances this season.
Good move for Celtic?
If Crystal Palace are willing to stump up a fee in the region of £20million, then it will be an acceptable move.
Dembele shouldn’t be allowed to leave on the cheap, and if Celtic are going to sell him, it’s better to do it sooner rather than later.
The newly received funds could instantly be reinvested in the team during January, in what has been quiet window for the Hoops.
However, if a deal takes too long to go through, the Bhoys do not want to be left having not secured his replacement in the same window.
This is Futbol rating: 6/10
Likely to happen?
Dembele’s Celtic exit has long been discussed but it seemed to go quiet in the last week, with no formal offers in sight.
If Crystal Palace have already moved to open a dialogue with Celtic, then this is the most progress made in weeks.
The striker seems all but certain to leave the club in the near future, it’s just debatable whether he’ll leave in January as time ticks on.
This is Futbol rating: 5/10