After our hopes were raised that Celtic were about to bring in Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden, with the Scottish Champions going back with a second bid believed to have been around the £4.1m mark, it appeared that this was also rejected and that was followed by both Scottish Sun and Anthony Joseph at Sky Sports stating that Celtic had now ended their interest in signing the player.
This from Paul Gillespie yesterday on The Celtic Star…
‘However, if these reports from BT in Denmark, then the Hoops are trying to get a deal done for Matt O’Riley’s international team-mate. The outlet claims that the club have had a second bid of £4.1 million rejected by the Danes as they seek to secure a fee much higher than that for the 21-years-old’s services, with interest from America in his talents.
The player has signed a contract extension with Brondby until 2027 and they are in no rush to sell their up and coming star. It claims that Kvistgaarden is seen as one of the key players for the Danish outfit and that they are happy to sit tight and keep him to aid their campaign. He’s scored one and claimed two assists so far this season and it’s obvious he has plenty of potential for growth.
It’s really up to Celtic now if they wish to push the boat out for Kvistgaarden with a higher bid. £4.1 million is a lot of money for someone who isn’t going to be a starter every single week and if he does sign, he will be challenging Oh Hyeon-gyu for that second striker spot behind the imperious Kyogo Furuhashi. Central defence is in more need of surgery at present and perhaps the club should secure a centre-back before a striker.
But then again, as mentioned above, we haven’t scored for the last two games so you can see Brendan Rodgers’ logic on chasing Kvistgaarden’s signature.’
Well both media outlets appear to have got this wrong, or were fed information designed to get Brondby’s expectations dampened regarding how much Celtic would be willing to pay. If Celtic play the old walking away trick then Brondby see the money disappearing and realise that their hand is not as strong as it actually is. They will be aware of the lack of goals from Celtic in recent matches and could have been looking to cash in on Celtic’s desperation to recruit a goalscorer.
The deal now appears to be back on and the price is higher, up to £4.5m – which will undoubtedly be the take to or leave it position, and the smart money is on Brondby, who may have been targeting a £5m, accepting the more reasonable third Celtic offer, as per Nicolò Schira’s update below.
Mathias #Kvistgaarden is getting closer to #Celtic from #Brondby for €4,5M. Ready a long term contract for the forward. #transfers
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) August 30, 2023
Here’s the Sky Sports update from yesterday…
UPDATE: After making initial enquiries, it’s looking unlikely that Celtic will pursue Brondby forward Mathias Kvistgaarden further in this window.
They’d like to strengthen CF options but it is not a position of priority at the moment.
Luis Palma can also play in this position. https://t.co/qrVxBzCw2P
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) August 29, 2023
Great, another expensive project to play backup to the best finisher we have had since Henrik but is now being told to drop down the field away from the area he is most valuable in. All at the instruction of an “elite” coach. Give me a break.