It's been nearly a fortnight now since Celtic sealed the signing of winger Nicolas Kuhn from Rapid Vienna for a fee of around £3m, a move Brendan Rodgers hoped would trigger a flurry of January incomings at Celtic.
The Hoops boss still intended to add a left-back and striker to his ranks, and the club initially chose to bide their time as their scouts conducted their due diligence. Now, though, that time is running out ahead of Thursday's transfer deadline, and still only one position has been addressed. That's why the latest news from Italy should serve as a source of encouragement.
Van Hooijdonk entourage angle for Celtic move
According to Corriere di Bologna, via Sport Witness, Sydney van Hooijdonk could still join Celtic. Bologna are about to sign striker Santiago Castro from Argentine club Velez Sarsfield, and that should free up the Dutchman to leave.
As you can see in the table below, Van Hooijdonk has already found gametime hard to come by at the club, with nine-goal frontman Joshua Zirkzee very much sitting at the top of the pecking order. The arrival of another competitor in Castro will definitively leave him surplus to requirements.
Appearances
11
Starts
4
League minutes
207
Total minutes
382
Pierre van Hooijdonk, a former Celtic player, is unsurprisingly exerting a significant influence over his son's decision, and he isn't the only one around the player who want to take him to Glasgow in the final days of the window.
"Offers have arrived" from elsewhere, with clubs in Turkey, Spain and the Netherlands also keen, but his entourage is working on a transfer to Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic instead.
Vata off the table as Van Hooijdonk should interest Hoops
It's often the case in the January transfer window that clubs are reluctant to sell players until they've found a replacement, because they know they have less time than they would in the summer and may be charged a premium. That clearly won't be a problem here, with Van Hooijdonk simply free to go and his agents actively seeking a new destination.
The 23-year-old may have only scored one goal this season, but he shouldn't be written off on the basis of that output because, as we've seen, he's hardly had a kick at times. Celtic fans should instead look to his previous stint with Heerenveen, where the 6 foot 3 striker bagged 26 goals in 54 matches, very nearly a strike rate of one in two.
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Bologna have shown an interest in Rocco Vata this month, raising the prospect of a part-exchange amid Celtic's interest in Van Hooijdonk, but there doesn't appear to be any prospect of the teenager featuring in the deal as he instead gets closer to signing a new contract at Parkhead.
