da gbg bet: Celtic look to be using the January window as an opportunity to offload several fringe players, but the exit of one highly-rated player could now lead to a new striker signing.
Celtic outgoings take precedence
da supremo: Brendan Rodgers has made no secret of his desire to trim his squad where possible as he looks to streamline his options ahead of the return following the Scottish Premiership winter break.
Cited by The Scotsman, the Irishman explained in a recent interview why he is willing to offload some of his fringe players, stating: "You have to for multiple reasons (offload fringe players), for the players themselves and for their football careers, they need to play. For financial reasons, you can’t be carrying numbers of players each month who aren’t contributing. It then allows us the opportunity to bring players in. That’s just a natural process."
Rodgers could ignite Kyogo with Celtic move for £3m SPFL star
The Hoops have been touted with an interest in the impressive centre-forward.
ByDan Emery
On Tuesday, Celtic announced through their official channels that forgotten man Yosuke Ideguchi has joined Japanese giants Vissel Kobe on a permanent basis, and he is unlikely to be the last to leave the building over the coming weeks.
Summer signing Gustaf Lagerbielke is attracting interest from the likes of Genoa and Lecce. At the same time, Benjamin Siegrist, Alexandro Bernabei, Kwon Hyeok-kyu and Marco Tilio could all become part of a cost-cutting operation at Parkhead before the window expires.
Now, a fresh report has emerged detailing that another Celtic man has been given permission to speak to another club as Rodgers continues to enact a clearout in Glasgow's east end.
Rocco Vata could form Bologna swap deal
Taking to social media platform X, Sky Sports News reporter Anthony Joseph has let it be known that Celtic have allowed youngster Rocco Vata permission to speak to Bologna over a move, and both avenues of a permanent transfer this month or a pre-contract agreement are being explored by the Serie A high-flyers.
The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has been involved with the Hoops' B team this campaign and has notched 13 goals in 20 appearances across all competitions (Vata statistics – Transfermarkt).
Scottish reporter Scott Burns has indicated that the Glasgow giants haven't offered Vata a new deal despite his current terms expiring later in the year and it now seems as if the 18-year-old could move on to new pastures after featuring just four times for Celtic's senior side.
There could be a positive twist in the tale for the Hoops, with reports from Italy, via Sport Witness, claiming that Bologna may try to use striker Sydney van Hooijdonk as a "pawn" in negotiations to "unblock the operation" amid Rodgers' rumoured interest in the Dutchman, who is the son of club icon Pierre van Hooijdonk.
With Celtic on the hunt for a goalscorer, the 23-year-old's record of 92 strikes from 196 games would likely appeal, given Oh Hyeon-gyu and Daizen Maeda's absence courtesy of being called up for the Asian Cup.