Celtic could still look to sign an “amazing” player who they made an offer for in the January transfer window, according to the individual himself.
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Things continue to go extremely smoothly for the Hoops this season, with Saturday’s 5-0 win over Raith Rovers at Parkhead seeing them cruise into the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.
Celtic ended up having a quiet time of things in the January window, even though Brendan Rodgers was pushing hard to complete the signing of Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden, following the surprise exit of star attacker Kyogo Furuhashi.
In the end, the 22-year-old stayed put at his current club for the time being, but it remains to be seen if the Hoops will go back in for him at the end of the season.
While Rodgers has built a squad capable of fighting on all fronts this season, there is no question that new faces could be needed in the summer, in order to bring a freshness to the squad. Now, a potential target has emerged – one who may even have arrived at Celtic by now if his situation was different.
Celtic made offer for 23 y/o forward in January
Speaking Gazet van Antwerpen [via Sport Witness], Michel-Ange Balikwisha claimed that Celtic attempted to sign him in January, while also not ruling out a summer move:
“Celtic’s offer this winter was concrete, but I didn’t want to leave injured. Celtic’s interest was specific, but I chose to stay. I didn’t think leaving with an injury was ideal. Then I’d rather take good care of myself, to be ready for the play-offs. We will see further in the summer window.”
It makes complete sense why Balikwisha didn’t want to leave in January, given his injury situation, but it is encouraging that he hints at a move still coming to fruition in the near future.
The 23-year-old is a young winger who should only improve in the coming years, and analyst Ben Mattinson has spoken highly of the Royal Antwerp ace, describing him as “amazing”.
Primarily a left winger, Balikwisha can also excel on the right and in a central attacking role, with the Antwerp man capped for Belgium across five different age groups.
A tally of 25 goals in 128 appearances for his current club is a solid return, and Celtic should be eyeing him up as a primary target when the summer window opens.
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