Bolton ‘hoping to agree a fee’ this week with Celtic for Johnny Kenny

As reported by reliable journalist Alan Nixon on Patreon Bolton are ‘hoping to agree a fee’ this week for the recently turned 22-year-old Irish striker. The player has emerged as one with high potential, and his development trajectory has attracted interest.

Celtic are said to value Kenny at around £1 million, while Bolton are currently only prepared to offer £500,000 up front, with the rest made up of performance-related add-ons. The gap, while not insurmountable, points to a deeper issue – whether Celtic are truly ready to part ways with Kenny, and whether this is a case of selling short on a player yet to fully realise his value.

The understanding up until now — including indications from Brendan Rodgers himself — was that Kenny would sign a new contract and go out on loan again, ideally to a club where he could play regular football at a good level and continue his development.

That plan made sense. If Kenny hits double figures in goals, even in League One or the Championship, his market value could rise considerably.

A productive season — say, 12 to 15 goals — could easily turn Kenny into a £3m–£5m asset, or a viable option for Celtic’s first team rotation. That kind of upside makes the reported £1m valuation look conservative — and Bolton’s £500k proposal with add-ons seem particularly light.

So why would Celtic consider selling now?

One explanation could be Kenny’s own desire for a settled environment and regular football, but Kenny himself has also sounded keen to sign a contract extension at Celtic and had been singing Brendan Rodgers’ praises in his footballing development.

Another could be a shift in Celtic’s squad planning or financial priorities, particularly after the recent signing of Shin Yamada, or perhaps further striker reinforcements to come.

But the suggestion that Celtic would allow a player of Kenny’s potential to leave for such a modest fee will raise eyebrows among some fans — especially given the premium now placed on young forwards across Europe.

If Bolton do land Kenny for a cut-price deal, it’s easy to imagine a scenario where he flourishes and the Trotters pocket a tidy profit down the line — profit that could, and arguably should, have been Celtic’s.

There’s no guarantee, of course, that Kenny will hit those 15 goals. But even a decent season in League One could restore or enhance his value significantly — far more than the modest fee currently being discussed.

Unless Celtic have concluded that Kenny won’t make the cut at the club, which seems premature given his age and potential — the smarter move may still be to secure a new contract and loan him out, ideally to an English Championship club where he can be properly tested.

Bolton’s offer of £500,000 plus add-ons seems unlikely to meet Celtic’s valuation, and rightly so. A fee anywhere near £1 million should also only be considered if it includes a significant sell-on clause — at least 30% — to ensure Celtic benefit from Kenny’s potential future rise in value.

The ball remains in Celtic’s court. If they back Kenny’s potential, they’d perhaps be wiser to invest in his future — and reap the rewards later, either on the pitch or in the balance sheet.

Both player and manager seemed on the same page just a couple of weeks ago. It would seem a bit strange if Kenny left Celtic now, especially if a new contract remains a possibility.

Read this – The backstory to Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter

Thank you to everyone who has already pre-ordered the late David Potter’s last ever Celtic book, Celtic in the Eighties, which will be published on the fifth day of September by Celtic Star Books. The link to pre-order your copy is below…