A number French sides have been in contact over a potential swoop for Celtic enforcer Eboue Kouassi as a major transfer hunt ramps up for his capture this summer, according to Foot Mercato.
The French football news outlet report that the Hoops have been inundated with a number of enquiries from Ligue 1 outfits for the 20-year-old’s capture, including from OGC Nice and Stade Rennais, while interest is also building from Belgium as well.
The six foot tall (source: Transfermarkt) defensive midfielder joined the Bhoys from Krasnodar back in January 2017 but has only made 17 appearances for the first team, including 12 outings, eight of which were among the starting XI, last season.
Good move for Celtic?
Kouassi has not quite hit the desired heights while at Parkhead and it would come as no surprise to see Brendan Rodgers sanction his eventual exit 18 months after his arrival.
The Hoops have much better options in the centre of the park and were the youngster to stay he would continue to be on the fringes of the first team rather than playing regularly.
If Celtic feel as though he still has a future at the club, then perhaps a loan spell would do him some good, but there is every chance they would want to cash in and reinvest the money from his exit elsewhere.
This is Futbol rating: 7/10
Likely to happen?
With all these clubs chasing his capture, it is not like Celtic, or the player himself, will have a lack of options on where to go.
If someone wants to offer the sort of fee that Rodgers will be demanding for his capture, then it will likely be accepted, and there could even be something of a bidding war if a number of sides get involved.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10