OPINION
Celtic must try to seal the signing of BSC Young Boys ace Kevin Mbabu in the January transfer window with Brendan Rodgers in clear need of a new right-back.
The 23-year-old has been in superb form for the Swiss giants this season, earning 24 appearances in all competitions and even looking impressive when playing against Manchester United in the Champions League.
Rodgers’ current right-back options at Celtic Park are way short of what the Scottish giants should be happy with.
Mikael Lustig fails to fill fans with confidence, Cristian Gamboa cannot even get a look-in and Anthony Ralston has promise but does not appear to be someone who can become a regular starter in the future.
Mbabu is someone who is an instant upgrade on all three of these and signing him would be a terrific way to bolster the defence and add more of an attacking threat to the side because of the way the pacey Switzerland international loves to bomb forward.
What is also interesting is that Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has claimed that the right-back might be available for around £8million this month – but his value could rise all the way up to £30million if he impresses at Parkhead.
“Right-back Mikael Lustig is coming to the end of the line and I wouldn’t be surprised if he leaves in the summer,” Nicholas told the Daily Star.
“Cristian Gamboa is inconsistent and the jury is still out on Anthony Ralston or he would be playing every week.
“Another player I would look at had a spell at Rangers from Newcastle.
“Kevin Mbabu is now a defender at Young Boys.
“He is playing every week and has proved himself at Champions League level. At 23 he would be a real asset although he would maybe cost £7m or £8m. He plays like a right winger but I can see him going on to become a £30m man.”
While it’s not impossible, it’s certainly a claim that should get mouths watering among the Celtic fanbase.
Young Boys shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with and Mbabu may believe that he has some unfinished business in the UK after failed spells at Newcastle United and Celtic’s bitter rivals Rangers.
He failed to make a single appearance during his loan spell at Ibrox, so the Hoops supporters shouldn’t have an issue with the fact that he was once on the books on the opposite side of the Glasgow divide.
And even if he had, for the fact that he could represent a potential £23million profit in the future – according to Nicholas – it doesn’t matter if he was one of Rangers’ best players at the time, signing him should be a no-brainer.