Celtic were interested in Kieron Bowie during the January transfer window, but the 23-year-old Scotland international ultimately joined Serie A side Hellas Verona from Hibernian in a deal worth around £6 million. Celtic instead brought in loan signings Tomas Cvancara and Junior Adamu, both of whom failed to make a meaningful impression at Parkhead. Neither player appeared in a single Hoops matchday squad after the split, which makes the club’s January decision look increasingly questionable in hindsight.
How Celtic’s striker search links to Bowie?
Bowie, meanwhile, scored over half of Hellas Verona’s goals since his move to the Serie A side and netted in three of Hellas’ last five games, including draws away against Juventus and Inter Milan. Despite those contributions, Verona were relegated to Serie B, and that outcome has introduced significant uncertainty over his future at the club.
According to L’Arena via Tutto Hellas Verona, Celtic have now reignited their interest in the striker, with Verona reportedly willing to sell for just £3.46 million, a fraction of what they paid Hibernian four months ago. Celtic’s need for a striker was obvious in January and clearly remains so heading into the summer.
Celtic’s forward line and what Bowie brings?
Daizen Maeda completed a remarkable turnaround in form, bagging seven goals in Celtic‘s last five games of the campaign to fire them to another Premiership crown, but looks set to leave the club this summer as he enters the final year of his contract.
That departure creates a genuine vacancy in the forward line, and Bowie will be a good option. The Kirkcaldy-born forward is 6ft 2in tall and has already earned full Scotland caps, bringing the kind of aerial threat and direct running that Celtic have lacked at various points this season.
Do they need him?
Celtic absolutely should move for Bowie, and the fee makes this one of the more straightforward decisions they face this summer. At £3.46m, nearly half of what Verona paid for him, this represents a genuine bargain for a player who scored against Inter, Juventus, and Bologna in the top flight of Italian football. The striker admitted in January that he wanted to experience something culturally different, which is worth noting, but relegation changes calculations significantly.
Celtic face significant competition in signing attackers this summer, with multiple forwards on their radar, yet Bowie stands apart because his quality is already proven at a higher level than the Scottish Premiership.
He is 23, he is Scottish, he knows the league, and he has now shown he can compete in Serie A. For a Celtic side preparing for European football in 2026/27, that combination of domestic familiarity and continental experience is precisely what Martin O’Neill needs to replace Maeda. Yes, this should happen, and the price alone makes it hard to refuse.
