Giorgos Giakoumakis’ Celtic exit latest as £5m Midtjylland transfer limit provides major stumbling block

FC Midtjylland are interested in signing Giorgos Giakoumakis - but the club cannot meet Celtic’s asking price for the striker.

The Greek frontman looks to be on the verge of completing a move away from Parkhead this month after talks with the Hoops over a new deal broke down, leaving the player unsettled.

According to reports, the Danish outfit are looking to strengthen their bid for European football next season and are believed to have already made contact with Giakoumakis’ representatives over a possible transfer in this window.

Midtjylland, who currently sit seventh in the Danish Superliga, are understood to have a number of attacking options but have a limited budget of around £5million to spend.

Giakoumakis - 25 goals in 55 appearances for Celtic - features high on their list of targets after racking up impressive scoring returns in recent seasons, including at Dutch side VVV-Venlo.

Manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed Kyogo Furuhashi is his leading striker, meaning the Scottish champions are unlikely to stand in Giakoumakis’ way if they can make a healthy profit on the £2.5m they paid to land him in the summer of 2021.

Greek outlet Sportime claim the Glasgow giants want £5.2m for the 28-year-old, which exceedes Midtjylland’s budget. Reporter Giannis Chorianopoulos tweeted: “FC Midtjyllans at the moment cannot meet Celtic demands (€6-7m) for Greece international striker Giorgos Giakoumakis. Interest first reported at @BTSportEn.”

The 28-year-old is demanding an increased salary and has also been linked with Japanese side Urawa Red Diamons and a move to the Middle East.

His expected departure could pave the way for Postecoglou to bring in another frontman in January, but Celtic have fallen short of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors’ valuation for World Cup star Cho Gue-sung after submitting an offer.

The South Korean international and fellow countryman Oh Hyeon-gyu of Suwon Samsung Bluewings are contenders to fill the void left by Giakoumakis, but the latter club have already blocked a move for Hyeon-gu, who has expressed his desire to move to Scotland and remains hopeful an agreement can be reached.

Postecoglou has been eager to do the majority of his incoming business earlier in the window, with deals for Tomoki Iwata, Yuki Kobayashi and Alistair Johnston sealed before the New Year.