According to a recent report by the Daily Record, Premiership giants Celtic are said to have recently placed a £5m bid in an attempt to acquire the services of Peterborough United striker Ivan Toney. The report goes on to clarify that despite the heavy and sustained interest from the Scottish champions, the League One club were quick to reject the Bhoys’ bid. A senior source from the English side is said to have confirmed to the Daily Record that the bid was in fact from Celtic and that the amount in question fell well-short of their actual valuation of the player.
Although it has been clarified in the report that Celtic are interested in Peterborough United’s Ivan Toney, whether or not they’ll be able to cough up the required transfer fee to convince the League One club to sell the player remains to be seen.
Premier League hopefuls Brentford are also said to have placed a large bid to try and convince the forward to stay in England. Although the Celts’ Old Firm rivals Rangers are also said to be in the equation, it has been conceded that they would likely have to sell before being able to spend that much on player purchases.
What Is Celtic’s Current Strike Situation?
If there is one position on the pitch that Neil Lennon needn’t be overly concerned about, then it would have to be a central striker. Despite Odsonne Edouard’s struggles over the pre-season friendlies, the Frenchman is undoubtedly the most talismanic striker in the entirety of the Premiership, and his efforts are bound to come good once the league campaign restarts. The former PSG man was almost singlehandedly responsible for carrying Celtic to the top of the table last season, and his contributions in attack simply cannot be underplayed.
Apart from Edouard, the Bhoys also boast two other natural centre-forward options to choose from, Leigh Griffiths and Patryk Klimala. The Scot only returned to first-team action midway through last season, after he took a hiatus from the side to work on some personal issues. Having returned, it’s safe to say that the attacker has used the opportunities presented to him to announce himself to Neil Lennon’s staff. Klimala, on the other hand, was brought in last season but showcased stellar predatory instincts over the course of the Celts’ pre-season friendlies this time.
What Makes Ivan Toney A Good Option For Celtic?
The former Newcastle United striker has been on the radar of some of the nation’s top clubs over recent weeks, and with good reason. The 24-year-old has been seen tearing things up in the English lower divisions over the last couple of seasons. The Englishman’s 32 League One outings in the recently completed campaign yielded a solid return of 24 goals and six assists, the kind of numbers that could hoist this Celtic team to the next level in the years to come. A deadly finisher of the ball in the box, Toney also possesses excellent positioning and ball-carrying skills too.
Celtic Are Interested In Peterborough United’s Ivan Toney: Smart Move For Lennon?
As has been clarified earlier, the Hoops currently possess three distinct options to choose from in the centre-forward role, meaning that the acquisition of another one, ideally, shouldn’t be in Lennon’s mind at this time. With that said though, if planning for the future is what’s on the gaffer’s mind, then it would have to be branded a decent enough idea. There have been various question marks raised regarding the future of Odsonne Edouard, and even if he does end up staying for another year, the likelihood of a long-term future at Parkhead is extremely bleak. With that in mind, it’s safe to say that Toney has the right attributes and skill-set required to replace Edouard effectively in the long-run.
