CELTIC TRANSFER RUMORS: WHO ARE WE LINKED WITH AND HOW LIKELY ARE THEY TO SIGN?
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Jun 10
- 5 min read
We’re a couple of weeks into the close season now, with most of the Celtic players and staff currently on holiday. However, that hasn’t stopped the Celtic transfer rumor mill from going into its usual unhinged overdrive.
Celtic Transfer Rumors: Five Deals That Might Actually Happen
Of course, the vast majority of these rumors are just that: rumors and speculation. In all likelihood that’s all most of them will ever amount to. Very few players linked with moves to Celtic this early on in the summer actually join up in the end.
However, I’ve picked out the five that I think may be possible. My basis is that there’s more than one primary source to these stories which suggests that there is something there, though we can’t be sure how substantive it is.
So, let’s rundown these 5 players linked with Celtic by multiple, independent sources and see how likely each one is.
1) Mathias Kvistgaarden
Remember back in the late 90s when it seemed like Mario Jardel was linked with Rangers every close season for about five years straight, despite never being remotely interested in moving to Glasgow?
Well, it’s starting to feel that way with Mathias Kvistgaarden and Celtic. For the last 4 transfer windows we’ve been linked with the 22-year-old Danish striker. Each time, Brondby have upped the price, and Celtic have, seemingly, lost interest.
Realistically, the best chance for Kvistgaarden to come to Celtic was probably last summer, but when Brondby pushed the asking price above the 8 million we ultimately ending up paying for Adam Idah instead, that seemed to kill the deal.
The sale of Kyogo in January resurrected interest, but by then the asking price was 12 million. Frankly, whilst it would have been nice to bring in a Kyogo replacement in January, Kvistgaarden hasn’t done enough yet to warrant such a fee. I think the ship has sailed on this one.
Chances of it happening: 2/10
2) Callum Osmand
From a very unlikely striker, to one who will quite possibly, by the time you read this, be a Celtic player already.
The 19-year-old Fulham youth academy graduate appears set to sign for Celtic within the next few days according to multiple, trustworthy sources.
Best of all, the transfer will only involve a nominal development fee going to his parent club, Fulham.
After years of watching promising young talents like Ben Doak, Rocco Vata and most recently Daniel Cummings being stolen away from Celtic by rich English clubs for, comparatively, pennies, it’s nice to see a great prospect from an English club heading the other way for a change.
Osmand, a Welsh international at youth level, manager 10 goals and 4 assists in 17 appearances for Fulham’s reserve team this season. He was actually among the nominees for the PL2 (The official name for England’s reserve league) player of the year.
His contract at Fulham runs out this month, and so Celtic will get him for almost nothing.
It remains to be seen if the 19-year-old will be able to force his way into the first team, however indications are that he is not being signed as a prospect, but as someone intended to immediately join the first team squad.
Of course nothing is official until the club announce it, but this seems as close to a done deal as one can get.
Chances of it Happening: 9/10
3) Keita Kosugi
This is a bit of a wild card, and any potential for this player to join Celtic will largely depend on if Greg Taylor ultimately leaves. Again, this seems highly likely but it isn’t official yet, with negotiations between the player and Greek side PAOK Salonika said to be at an impasse.
Kosugi is another young player with bags of potential. He enjoyed a sensational break out season this year with Djurgarden, playing as a left-back as the Swedish side reached the last four of the UEFA Conference League.
I’ve written a more detailed piece on Kosugi already. However, if I’m being honest this deal seems 50/50 at best. Atalanta and PSG are also said to be interested in the Japanese full back. And Djurgarden made it clear this week they are in no rush to sell what they consider to be one of their prize assets.
If Celtic were lucky, they might get him for between 5 and 8 million. He would, almost certainly repay that several times over when he inevitably moved on again in 2 or 3 years. However, it’s not really Celtic’s style to spend that kind of money on a back-up left back.
Kosugi himself will also have an eye on the 2026 World Cup with Japan having already qualified. Playing second fiddle to Kieran Tierney isn’t likely to help his cause in that regard.
File this under one that I would personally love to see happen, but unless there’s a major shift in attitude from both Celtic and his current club it seems unlikely.
Chances of it happening: 4/10
4) Demir Tiknaz
The big Turkish defensive midfielder is an intriguing one. His transfer situation is complicated, but he is definitely the type of player Celtic should be looking at, and he’s within our price range.
Although still contracted to Besiktas, the 21-year-old spent much of last season on loan at Portuguese side Rio Ave. They have an option to buy him for around 4 million Euros. However, they only have until June 11th (tomorrow at the time of writing) to exercise that option.
Even if they do, Celtic appear ready to offer significantly more than that to secure the player’s services.
We’ll know more in a couple days. Primarily, will we have to cut a deal with Besiktas or Rio Ave. Either way, it seems doable, and defensive midfield cover is something we’ve sorely lacked since (erroneously in my opinion) allowing Tomoki Iwata to leave last summer.
This is complicated, but I think this just might end up working out for Celtic.
Chances of it happening 7/10
5) Lennon Miller
Unfortunately, as much as I think many of us would love to see this extremely talented young Scotland midfielder in a Celtic shirt, I think the best chance of that happening may have already passed.
Celtic were allegedly close to a deal for the Motherwell star in January, but couldn’t get it over the line. Since then, Lennon’s stock as grown considerably, and he’s also become a full international.
This will have pushed his price up even higher, a price which Celtic were already, it seems, unwilling to meet.
Word is that Motherwell want 6 or 7 million for their prize asset, but could probably be talked down to somewhere around 5 million. Celtic didn’t want to pay more than 3.5 million and that position hasn’t changed since January.
Also, Miller will know that he probably has a far better chance of consistent first team football if he goes abroad. The recent success of players like Billy Gilmour at Napoli and Lewis Ferguson at Bologna just serves to prove this.
Gilmour left Rangers as a youth, while Ferguson apparently rejected advances from both sides of Glasgow, believing he would better develop in Italy.
So, I’m afraid this one, whilst not impossible, definitely goes in the “unlikely” column.
Chances of happening 3/10.
This may well become a regular weekly feature here on the ACSOM blog once the transfer window opens in another couple of weeks, so stay tuned for more updates soon.
