Rodgers confirms Celtic interest in star as lack of Ibrox interest in one position would leave hero 'stunned'

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has commented on his club's transfer activity.Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has commented on his club's transfer activity.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has commented on his club's transfer activity. | Getty Images
Brendan Rodgers was quizzed about speculation linking the club with a host of new signings

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has revealed that a number of clubs have shown interest in signing out-of-favour centre forward Hyeon-gyu Oh this summer.

The South Korean forward was signed by predecessor Ange Postecoglou for £2.5m in January 2023 and was initially an important player as he fired in six goals in 16 league appearances during the second half of the campaign in what proved to be a treble-winning season.

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However, in his second campaign he has rapidly fallen down the pecking order, particularly after the arrival of loan signing Adam Idah, who the Hoops are keen to keep on board next season.

Earlier this week the Parkhead side had an offer in the region of £4m to £5m rejected for the Norwich City forward but it is expected that Rodgers’ team will return to the table with an improved bid.

Rodgers was reluctant to comment on Idah and insisted that he ‘wasn’t in the mood to be talking about players from other clubs.’

However, he did hint that the club would consider offers for Oh, who could be sold after just 18 months in Glasgow.

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Rodgers told BBC Sport: “There’s some interest in Oh, so again we’ll assess that as a club and just manage that. But you’ll see tonight his attitude is great and he had a good 45 minutes and worked hard. Let’s see what the coming days bring on that one.”

Away from the striker area, one of Celtic’s biggest tasks this summer is finding a long term replacement for Joe Hart who retired this summer.

One possible solution to the problem could well prove to be Denmark veteran Kasper Schmeichel, with whom he worked with at Leicester City and who is currently a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Anderlecht.

Rodgers was quizzed by reporters about the prospect of signing the 2016 Premier League winner, but was again reluctant to go into too much detail.

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Commenting on the 105-time Danish international, he said: “There’s lot of names flying about - I just want a good one. Kasper is a very good one. I know him well, but there's lots of names and I’m clearly not going to tell you what those names are.”

Joe Hart was recently lauded by Liam Scales for his leadership skills and those are certainly things Schmeichel excels in, having also captained Leicester to an FA Cup and Community Shield victory.

Celtic are yet to make a move in the transfer window and Rodgers has insisted that his team need to be picky about who they acquire.

“The players we want are targeted - we know what we want. We could have had nine players in now if we wanted, but it's all about the right players that we want to improve the squad. “

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Rangers icon claims club need a new striker this transfer window

Rangers legend Kris Boyd has urged the club to move for a centre forward this summer and says he will be stunned if it isn’t the clubs top priority. The Gers narrowly missed out on the title last term and many experts feel that a clinical forward is the missing piece of the jigsaw.

Boyd told the Scottish Sun: “I believe Rangers do need to bring in another top-class striker this summer. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if Danilo goes on to justify the money Gers shelled out on him last year. Beale viewed him as his No 1 striker, and there is no doubt Clement felt the same way after taking over.

“Danilo impressed as Rangers started to hit their stride under the Belgian towards the new year. He showed pace, good movement, and clearly knows where the goal is. And as the face injury he suffered when scoring against St Johnstone proved, he is also brave and aggressive when it’s needed. Who knows if Danilo would have made all the difference in the title run-in as Gers fell short.

“Certainly, he would have played a key role under Clement, and I’d imagine the manager sees him as a big player again this term. Time will tell if he becomes the main man up front, but he has shown enough to suggest he can be a success at Ibrox.”

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