TEAMtalk reports that Rangers and Celtic both scouted Saido Berahino earlier in the season with a view to a potential summer transfer.
The 26-year-old former West Brom and Stoke City player is currently attached to Belgian Pro League side Zulte Waregem and contracted there until at least 2021.
The report suggests that the striker is open to the idea of returning to the UK and that both Old Firm clubs had him watched prior to the suspension of the Belgian season amid the global health crisis.
It’s claimed that if the Gers lose Alfredo Morelos over the winter or Odsonne Edouard leaves Celtic, Berahino could be sought as a replacement.
Verdict
It’s hard to see this transfer happening.
Berahino had a passable season in front of goal, netting eight times in 22 appearances in all competitions for Zulte Waregem.
Those aren’t the kind of numbers that suggest he’s capable of filling an Alfredo Morelos sized void both in domestic and European competition, though.
At 26, the Burundi international should be coming into his prime but has struggled for some time to replicate the form he showed as a young player at West Brom.
He commanded an eight-figure transfer fee when moving to Stoke in 2017 but his spell there was disastrous as he netted just five times in 56 appearances in all competitions.
The player has also had some fitness and conduct issues in the past and although he appears to have stayed on the straight and narrow since moving to Belgium, there would be too much risk associated with an attempt to sign him.
