Karamoko Dembele leaves Celtic to join Ligue 1 side, while Hoops outcast emerges as transfer target for English Championship club

Karamoko Dembele has officially left Celtic to sign a four-year-deal with French outfit Brest.

The former England Under-18 international burst onto the scene at Parkhead after starring for the Hoops Under-20s side at the age of just 13 and was tipped for stardom in Glasgow.

However, his development has stagnated in recent years due to injuries and a lack of regluar action, making just eight first-team appearances.

The explosive winger was out of contract at Celtic this summer and he’s now taken the opportunity to try and reignite his career in at the Ligue 1 side.

Born in London, Dembele was capped at youth level by Scotland after his family moved north but he opted to switch allegiance at the age of 16 to play for England.

He scored just one goal for the Hoops’ first-team against St Johnstone in May 2021 and struggled to make the impact everyone at the club had anticipated.

The 19-year-old required surgery on a fractured ankle during pre-season last summer and manager Ange Postecoglou was unable to provide him with sufficient game time during the latter stages of the campaign.

Speaking after clinching his move to France, Dembele admitted: “I came to Brest because I saw that the prjoect presented by Greg Lorenzi (manager) was good.

“It’s something that suits me and I think I can have some playing time here. It was a great opportunity that presented itself to me and it interested me.”

Meanwhile, English Championship side Reading are reportedly set to offer Celtic outcast Boli Bolingoli a Parkhead escape route.

The Belgian defender has been informed he has no future in Glasgow and will be allowed to leave the club this summer, with Ange Postecoglou keen to get him off the wage bill.

The 27-year-old, who remains under contract for another year, made just two appearances for the Hoops last season before heading out on loan to FC Ufa in January.

However, that move was immediately cut short due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Bolingoli has since been doing pre-season training alone back in his homeland rather than at Lennoxtown.

With new signing Alexandro Bernabei ready to battle with Greg Taylor to become first-choice left-back, Bolingoli has fallen further down the pecking order.

According to the Reading Chronicle, the Royals are interested in signing Bolingoli to bolster their defensive options.

It’s unlikely Celtic will recoup much of the £2million they paid to bring him to the club from Rapid Vienna in 2019.