Rapid Rangers-linked attacker Siriki Dembele returned to action for Peterborough on Saturday and netted a dramatic 100th-minute winner.
Back in December, Peterborough’s sporting director Barry Fry claimed that the Gers and Celtic had watched Dembele on several occasions [Peterborough Telegraph] and speculation has continued on and off since then.
Fulham, West Brom and Nottingham Forest are some of the English teams to have also been credited with interest and as per Posh’s policy, with Dembele in the final year of his contract, he has been transfer-listed.
Last month, the Peterborough Telegraph reported that he would favour a move to Scotland as he spent part of his childhood there, although his younger brother Karamoko’s presence at Celtic may give the Hoops a key advantage.
Dembele missed out on the matchday squad for Peterborough’s first two matches of the season, defeats at Luton Town in the Championship and Plymouth Argyle in the League Cup.
His absence looked suspicious amid the transfer speculation but he returned to the fold on Saturday for a home fixture against Derby County and came off the bench in the 62nd minute.
Derby went ahead through a thumping finish from Jack Stretton in the 77th minute but the hosts turned things around to secure their first points since promotion from League One.
Harrison Burrows equalised in the first minute of injury time and Dembele sent the Weston Homes Stadium wild with the winner in the 100th minute.
The ball fell to the 24-year-old around the penalty spot and he showed great composure to dispatch a right-footed finish into the bottom right corner.
It was another reminder of the Ivory Coast-born attacker’s ability, following his haul of 12 goals and 12 assists last season.
Rangers bounced back from a poor run in style on Friday night with a 5-0 win over Dunfermline, but if Steven Gerrard feels he still needs more at the top end of the pitch, the versatile Dembele could be a good option and should be relatively cheap given his contract situation.
In other transfer news, a report has provided an update on the Alfredo Morelos-Porto saga.