Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Celtic have fielded enquiries for striker Moussa Dembele and admitted that the youngster has not been the same player amid speculation about his future.
The Hoops boss made the admission while speaking after Celtic’s easy 5-0 win over Brechin in the Scottish Cup on Saturday, a game in which the Frenchman did not feature.
Rodgers also revealed that the club had not received any official bids as of yet, despite several Premier League clubs being linked with the 21-year-old.
Rodgers was quoted by Clyde 1 ‘s Superscoreboard Twitter account:
Brendan Rodgers on Moussa Dembele "There have been a couple of enquiries about him…it's been clear he's not been quite the same player."
Rodgers also confirms there have been no official bids for the player.
— Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) January 20, 2018
The 21-year-old attacker has been heavily linked with a move away from Parkhead this month, with several Premier League sides reportedly preparing bids.
As reported by The Sun, Crystal Palace are said to have enquired about the goal machine’s availability this month with Roy Hodgson keen to add more firepower up front.
A previous report, also from The Sun, suggested that Stoke City, Brighton, West Ham and Everton were all showing interest in Dembele, who has scored 40 goals in 70 games at Celtic.
Rodgers now seems to have confirmed those reports, revealing that the Hoops had received enquiries about the 21-year-old, and admitting that Dembele has not shown his true colours since the beginning of the transfer window.
Dembele has not scored for the club since the end of November, during their 2-0 Scottish League Cup final win over Motherwell.
OPINION
It is no surprise to hear that Celtic have fielded enquiries about Dembele, but as the transfer window nears its end, it does look increasingly likely that the 21-year-old may actually stay at Parkhead. His main suitors, Brighton, have just signed Jurgen Locadia on a club-record £14million deal from PSV Eindhoven, and Crystal Palace have been linked with several other strikers. With 10 days to go in the window, clubs will have to move fast to strike a deal with Celtic for Dembele, with the Hoops surely to demand big money for their prize possession.