If a recent report from the Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb (as cited by The Scotsman) are believed to be true, Celtic are keeping close tabs on Issa Doumbia ahead of a potential winter move. But they are not the only side to scout him, with Club Brugge and Espanyol also monitoring the Venezia midfielder’s performances and were in attendance during his team’s 2-0 victory against Monza.
The 22-year-old Italy U21 international progressed through the academy ranks of AlbinoLeffe before making his Serie C debut in 2021. He went on to make 82 senior appearances for his boyhood club, and his presence in the centre of the pitch earned him a €1m transfer to Venezia in the summer of 2024.
Despite their relegation, Doumbia frequently featured for them in Serie A throughout the previous campaign. Impressed by the youngster’s display, the Winged Lions rejected Southampton’s €6m summer bid for their prized asset. His stakes have since gone high with several top-notch performances, scoring and assisting twice each in 16 Serie B appearances so far this term. He is tied down in Venice till 2029, and Venezia would attempt to maximise the profit if they decide to cash in on him next month.
Celtic are having a nightmare run under Wilfried Nancy, who has lost all four games since taking charge of the Glasgow giants. The Frenchman is trying hard to apply his strategy and style of play with the options in his ranks. But a disastrous summer window of low-key arrivals and high-profile exits, coupled with multiple significant injury woes, is not helping him either. The club must back him in the transfer market by snapping up names who would fit in his system. However, it won’t be as straightforward as it seems midway through the season.
Why Celtic Should Snap Up The Youngster
Yet the Hoops should show ambition by stepping up the chase for the Italian. On paper, they are well-equipped in midfield, with skipper Callum McGregor and Arne Engels being preferred as the deep-lying playmakers. Paulo Bernardo got the nod over Engels against Dundee United, but the young Portuguese has so far settled for a bit-part role. Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren are preferred as either ‘number 10’s or box-to-box options, thus leaving them with McGregor as the only outright ‘number 6’ in the current squad.
Predominantly a central midfielder, Doumbia would offer a different dimension in Nancy’s setup. His current crop of midfielders are technically gifted, but the lack of physicality has troubled them in the current set-up while dealing with counter-attacking threats. They offer overload up top, but the presence of the Venezia star would guarantee security and reliability in defence as well as transitions.
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