Celtic Saw €9.5million Transfer Offer Rejected This Winter

Celtic were expected to sign a striker in the winter to replace Kyogo Furuhashi, who left for Rennes after having been the starting centre-forward for the Hoops since the summer of 2021, when he had arrived from Vissel Kobe.

Ultimately, Celtic did not end up signing a striker this winter, meaning Adam Idah was automatically promoted to the starting spot with the inexperienced Johnny Kenny as his backup option.

Daizen Maeda has shown that he is capable of being a genuine option there as well, but it is not one the Hoops have often turned to over his three years at Parkhead.

Unsurprisingly, Celtic were heavily criticised for not signing a striker in the winter transfer window. But it looks like it was not for a lack of trying.

David Strelec of Slovan Bratislava is someone who was heavily linked with a potential move to Celtic this winter but it did not end up materialising. Interestingly, he refused to celebrate after scoring a goal recently. Now, his father, Milan, has explained the circumstances behind the failed move.

According to the Daily Record, Milan Strelec said: "You know, when I heard about Celtic's interest, I was thrilled. I was there at Slovan's first match in the Champions League, whole families were sitting there, old and young, amazing atmosphere. I would have loved to see him there. He has made great progress since the Euro, he is doing well, he is scoring goals. But the decision about his transfer was made higher up.

"Celtic's bid of 9.5m Euros? [£7.9m] That didn't help either. Unfortunately, that's how it is. But none of us knows the exact details of the contract or how the installments or bonuses were set. Maybe Slovan wanted to get it all at once, that's why the club decided against it. It's probably pointless to get into it."

Fortunately, Idah has done a decent job as Celtic's starting striker so far. Maeda looks like a reliable option as well and has been the club's most consistent goalscorer in recent weeks.

As a result, they have not been in trouble without Kyogo. That does not mean that the situation is ideal though. Hopefully, the Hoops will end up signing a striker in the summer.

Whether they try to sign Strelec again or not remains to be seen. He has done well for Slovan Bratislava and if he continues to find the back of the net, one would think that the interest will carry on to the summer transfer window.