Friends Re-United as Celtic eye Former teammates Yonatan Cohen and Ismaila Soro

YONATAN COHEN is the latest striker to be linked to Celtic, with Scottish Sun this morning claiming an exclusive, describing the Maccabi Tel Aviv star as “a prime Celtic transfer target”.

Cohen can play wide left or as a second striker so with Scotty Sinclair and Lewis Morgan both moving on this week, that would seem to add up. Sinclair completed his move to Preston NE – and there’s suggestions that the English Championship club paid a £1million transfer fee, apparently the same sum that David Beckham’s Inter Miami are paying for Lewis Morgan (their Director of Football reckons that the deal is just about done, as we reported last night), and conveniently Cohen is valued at a little over that total at just £2.5million.

Cohen certainly is on an impressive scoring run for the top club in Israeli football. The international has played alongside both Hatem Elhamed and Nir Bitton for the national side has scored seven goals in his last six games and the report claims that “Nick Hammond had the 23-year-old watched in Monday’s two-goal display as Maccabi won 4-3 at Maccabi Haifa.”

Apparently his second goal was a belter and was scored in injury time to win the match, impressing the Celtic scout in the process. Cohen’s goalscoring record for the season so far is impressive, he’s scored 14 goals in 14 games.

Cohen is not the only player from the Israeli league interesting Celtic. Midfielder got the Celtic Support excited during the week with social media activities suggesting that a move to the Scottish Champions was on the cards.

Soro is also quoted at around the £2.5million mark – so for shopping in Israel (a market Neil Lennon has done well in previously) Celtic could recruit both a left sided forward who can play through the middle and a strong and skilful defensive midfielder for an investment of just £5million in fees and having a good chuck of that covered by offloading some fringe players.

His club, Bnei Yehuda, seem prepared to sell their Ivory Coast midfielder with the club owner Barak Obramov quoted saying this: “It’s no secret Celtic are very interested in Ismaila. But at the same time I would stress we have yet to receive a formal offer from Celtic.”

Soro and Cohen were teammates before the forward got a move to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Here are their ‘Best Bits’ videos on You Tube…

ALSO ON THE CELTIC STAR…

This one from last night is well worth a read and makes the point that Celtic’s failure to deal with the Same Club Myth and allowing the Rangers to claim the trophies won by the previous club has resulted in the tensions and the stakes being even higher in this title race as Celtic aim for 9 in a row while the Rangers try to stop us by winning their first title but will of course be allowed to claim that it’s actually their 55th title win.

Cowdenbeath taught Celtic a Myth-Busting Lesson – ‘It is a different club,’ Donald Findlay…see HERE.

‘Welcome to Miami, Lewis Morgan,’ Celtic’s American Blogger Larry Cafiero…see HERE.

Andraz Sporar reportedly prefers Sporting Lisbon over Celtic…see HERE.

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor, who has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

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