Scottish giants Celtic are set to conduct a mass summer overhaul – but they would need to sell one of their prized assets to do so.
Football Insider claims that Neil Lennon is keen on making sure that the team strengthens in all departments of the pitch apart from the right-back position in the summer.
It is said that the club is looking for a new left-back, goalkeeper, centre-back, central midfielder – and it is felt that improvement is needed in the striker position, too. But in order to sign new players, the Hoops will have to offload their prized assets.
The failure to reach the group stages of the UEFA Champions League and their exit in the early knockout phases of the Europa League means they are under pressure to sell. The report states that Odsonne Edouard is ‘increasingly likely’ to leave in the summer.
Edouard in fine form
This season, Edouard has been in fine form for the Hoops. The Frenchman has scored 27 goals in all competitions. In the Premiership, he has scored 21 goals while picking up a tally of 12 assists.
His goal return this year is better than that of the last campaign, when he had scored 22 times in all competitions.
Can Celtic replenish their squad without selling Edouard?
We have to sell him
We don't need to sell him
TIF Tactics
While the report doesn’t specifically mention that Edouard will certainly be one of the players heading out of Celtic, the Frenchman is the most valuable player at Celtic, according to Transfermarkt. The former Paris Saint-Germain man is valued at £13.5 million, while loanee Mohamed Elyounoussi is the second-most valuable player at £10.8 million.
It shows that Edouard’s sale could yield Celtic a decent fee. That could help them sign the players they require to replenish their squad. Considering his contract runs out in the summer of 2022, this summer may represent a good time to sell Edouard and get the most out of his sale.