Celtic Interested in €15 Million-Rated International Striker
Celtic have a lot of work to do in the 2024 summer transfer window. This squad is in need of reinforcements, no matter how they finish the campaign, whether in glory or trophyless.
Signing another striker in the summer might be key to the club's future chances of success. Adam Idah has been decent since joining on loan in the middle of the season but he is not a consistent goalscorer. Never has been throughout his career.
Idah has scored a respectable five goals for Celtic until now. Two of those have come from the spot, while a penalty miss against Hearts proved vital.
Signing Idah permanently might not be a bad idea. But only for the right transfer fee. Anything over £3 million and it might be better to look elsewhere rather than hoping that he develops into a goalscorer someday.
If the latest transfer rumours are anything to go by, then it looks like Celtic are looking out for alternative targets up front.
According to Calciomercato, Celtic are interested in Fotis Ioannidis of Panathinaikos along with Sevilla, Eintracht Frankfurt, West Ham United, Bologna, Stuttgart, Sporting CP and Lazio.
It will take a major transfer fee to sign the Greece international striker. According to Sky Sport, Panathinaikos will ask for at least €15 million for Ioannidis.
Ioannidis has been in top form this season and has scored 21 goals in all competitions for Panathinaikos already.
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Understandably, Panathinaikos would want a significant transfer fee for Ioannidis to leave. Significantly higher than the £9 million Celtic paid to sign Odsonne Edouard all those years back.
It is about time that Celtic shatter their transfer record. They are in a financial position where they can afford to do that.
Is Ioannidis the right player to do that on? His goalscoring record before this season. He scored a combined 17 goals for Panathinaikos over the previous three seasons.
But then, for strikers, it is about finding their goalscoring boots. Once they do, they never stop scoring again.
Take a former Celtic player and another Greek international striker, Giorgos Giakoumakis, for example.
Giakoumakis scored a combined 26 goals over the first eight seasons of his professional career. Then suddenly, an invisible switch flicked and he scored 29 goals in the ninth with VVV-Venlo and has not stopped scoring since.
He finished as the top scorer in the Eredivisie, did the same in the Scottish Premiership with Celtic and is currently second in the MLS Golden Boot race, behind another former Bhoy, Lewis Morgan.
