Celtic are said to have made a £6m bid for Gabon international Aaron Boupendza. The Hatayspor striker has netted 22 goals in the Super Lig this season and Turkish outlet Milliyet claims that Celtic are leading the hunt for Boupendza but had an offer rejected by the Turkish outfit.
Boupendza could be viewed as the replacement for Odsonne Edouard, who is widely expected to move on in the summer. Eddie Howe is expected to become the next manager but it appears that the club are working away to identify and scout players behind the scenes in anticipation of the arrival of the new manager.
Edouard has been linked with a move away from Celtic with Leicester, AC Milan and Roma mentioned as being interested in the attacker. However, with Celtic’s poor form as well as a quiet season from the 23-year-old, the club may struggle to find the optimal fee for their prized asset.
The striking options ahead of next season are slim – Patryk Klimala has already left the club for New York Red Bulls, Leigh Griffiths has a year extension that is yet to be exercised and Albian Ajeti is yet to make a real impact at the club. Edouard is likely to fetch £20m with a reunion with Brendan Rodgers the most likely destination for the Frenchman. It would be hard to begrudge a player of his talent from wanting to play in The Champions League, something poor planning and recruitment from the club have caused.