French outlet Foot Mercato reports that Rangers and Celtic are locked in a last-minute transfer battle.
The man supposedly at the centre of the tug of war is a Moussa Konate.
Rangers and Celtic battling for international forward?
The 26-year-old Senegal striker was first linked to the Gers last week, when another French outlet, Courrier Picard, claimed he was on Steven Gerrard’s radar. L’Equipe then backed up the report, claiming the Gers were readying a bid of almost €10 million.
Out of favour at Ligue 1 side Amiens, it was suggested that Konate was available for the right price.
Now, though, Foot Mercato claim that despite the player being in ‘contact’ with the Gers for ‘several days’, Celtic have now entered the race for his signature.
The Hoops already have three strikers in Odsonne Edouard, Leigh Griffiths and Vakoun Issouf Bayo. Yet, the report insists both sides will battle without mercy for the attacker.
Verdict
Coming in the final hours of the window, this report is pretty far fetched.
As we’ve mentioned above, Celtic already have three strikers to call upon. While Konate can play out wide too, considering Neil Lennon prefers playing with one up top, significant expenditure on a fourth attacking option at this point in the window seems extremely unlikely.
From Rangers’ point of view, there only seemed a chance that a move for this player would go through if Alfredo Morelos left the club. Even then, his goalscoring record didn’t suggest he’d be an adequate replacement.
However, with El Bufalo set to stay at Ibrox, it’s hard to see the board sanctioning this move.
There’s absolutely no chance, if a sensational late swoop goes through for Ryan Kent. The Glasgow Evening Times reported earlier on Deadline Day that a £7 million fee had been accepted by Liverpool, with just personal terms and a medical still to be completed.
If you gave Bears the choice, the vast majority would want Kent every time.