Reported interest in Lawrence Shankland will have only increased after the known Rangers fan netted for Championship Dundee United against Premiership Hibs in the Scottish Cup.
The striker scored a first-half equaliser in the 2-2 draw, reportedly in front of travelling Celtic scout Tosh McKinlay and QPR legend Les Ferdinand [Glasgow Times].
Plenty of sides, Rangers included, are reportedly interested in the striker, but if Celtic come a-knocking, should this bluenose heed the calls of similar moves in recent years?
When it comes to Rangers and Celtic, fans often sit on the sidelines recoiling at the notion that we’d ever play for the other side.
But for professional players joining either side of the Old Firm is generally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the prestige and pay-packet potentially life-changing.
In the last few years, we’ve seen several well-documented childhood Rangers fans take that dreaded leap and join the ranks at Parkhead.
Shankland could well be the latest should Celtic make their interest in the forward concrete.
But looking at those players who’ve crossed the divide in recent years – Scott Allan, Lewis Morgan and Greg Taylor – they’ve done so to very limited success.
Granted, they’ll be picking up a pretty penny and, Allan aside, there’s been nothing concrete to suggest Rangers wanted to pounce.
But Allan is now back at Hibs after spending years on the bench at Celtic, allegedly getting a Rangers tattoo during his time at the Parkhead club.
Lewis Morgan is now set to move David Beckham’s Inter Miami in the USA – Celtic not a bad steppingstone to this admittedly – whilst £3m summer signing Greg Taylor is languishing behind the truly woeful Boli Bolingoli.
Shankland must heed this warning.
Celtic have Odsonne Edouard, Leigh Griffiths and now £3.5m signing Patryk Klimala in front of him in the pecking order.
Is it really worth turning his back on his boyhood club just to pick up a big wage packet and sit on the bench?