Celtic are chasing Ayr United’s in-form striker Lawrence Shankland, and the 23-year-old striker was recently left out of the squad last weekend. Reports from the Wales Online indicates that the forward might have missed out because of the speculation about his future. Along with the Hoops, Championship outfit Swansea City are also interested in him.
Ayr United’s chairman also indicated that they have a tough month ahead. He was quoted as saying (Wales Online), ”I’d like to get through the transfer window as quickly as possible, with as few problems as possible. The first thing I did was call him directly. The truth is, we didn’t even receive an offer, though an agent told us a certain amount of money would be offered. That amount wouldn’t have been acceptable.”
Shankland has been in tremendous goalscoring form in the Scottish second division, and he is the prime reason why Ayr United are in line to gain back to back promotion. The fact that the striker is such an important player and yet he was left out of the squad this weekend suggests that a move might be on the cards.
The striker has managed 28 goals so far in 26 appearances and to go with that; he has seven assists to his name as well. It’s clear that the second division might be a bit too easy for him and a move to a tougher league is very likely to happen sooner rather than later.
Celtic are in desperate need of a striker as Rodgers currently has Odsonne Edouard at his disposal. The Hoops have been linked with quite a few forwards so it remains to be seen which deal would be finalised by the club. Shankland is a strong contender given his rich vein of form, and his playing style might also suit the Bhoys.
The Scotsman’s strength is movement off the ball, and he always likes to play from the shoulders of the defenders. Celtic have some good passers who can find his runs and Shankland’s finishing is top notch so he might be a success at Park Head.
It would be foolish to assume he would return similar numbers in the Premiership. The forward has his contract up until the end of the summer so a move can go through this month if the Hoops come up with a right offer.
With Europa League fixtures to contest in, Celtic should look to bring in two strikers this month as we are yet not sure when Leigh Griffiths would be back. Therefore Shankland is a strong contender to be one of those strikers.
