Celtic are set to be in the market to bring a new number nine option to the club to compete for a starting berth at the top end of the pitch next season.
The Hoops have added 19-year-old striker Callum Osmand to the group, on a free transfer from Premier League side Fulham, but the young whiz has yet to play a single senior match in his career.
Brendan Rodgers is still looking for a bona fide first-team striker option, though, to finally replace Kyogo Furuhashi, who left the club to sign for Rennes in the January transfer window.
The Hoops opted against any moves to directly replace the Japan international that month, but they could change that by signing a striker to compete with Adam Idah, Osmand, and Daizen Maeda.
Celtic may not need to splash the cash, immediately, to sign a quality centre-forward, though, as their previous deal for Odsonne Edouard shows that the loan route can be a profitable one.
Celtic hit the jackpot with Odsonne Edouard
In the summer of 2017, the Scottish giants swooped to sign the French teenager from Paris Saint-Germain on loan with an option to make it permanent the following year.
Edouard hit the ground running at Parkhead as a loanee with a return of 11 goals in 29 appearances in all competitions for the club in the 2017/18 campaign, which shows that he made an immediate impact on the pitch during his time on loan.
His impressive form throughout that season convinced the Hoops to activate their option to sign him permanently in the summer of 2018, for a club-record fee of £9m.
That club-record transfer fee turned out to be a snip for Celtic because Edouard went on to provide goals at an exceptional rate over the next three seasons, before being sold for a healthy profit.
24/25
Daizen Maeda
33
23/24
Kyogo Furuhashi
19
22/23
Kyogo Furuhashi
34
21/22
Kyogo Furuhashi
20
20/21
Odsonne Edouard
22
19/20
Odsonne Edouard
29
18/19
Odsonne Edouard
22
The French striker, who scored at least 22 goals in each of those three campaigns, showed incredible consistency in the final third with his ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis.
This led to Crystal Palace swooping in to sign him for a fee of up to £18.5m in the summer of 2021, which shows that Celtic hit the jackpot with the forward, who delivered consistent quality on the pitch and made the club a huge profit.
Celtic exploring loan deal for new striker
In the present day, the Scottish Premiership champions are reportedly interested in signing a number nine on loan in a potential repeat of their Edouard success.
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According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, Celtic have made contact with Italian giants Napoli to discuss a deal for Giuseppe Ambrosino.
The reporter claims that the Hoops have made an enquiry about the young centre-forward, and that they have now entered talks to explore a move for the striker.
Joseph adds that they are ‘exploring’ the possibility of an initial loan deal with the option to make it permanent next summer, in what would be a very similar move to the one that they agreed with PSG for Edouard.
He also states that Ambrosino is ‘keen’ on a transfer to Glasgow, which suggests that personal terms will not be an issue if a switch can be agreed between the two clubs.
Why Ambrosino could be Edouard 2.0 for Celtic
There are obvious similarities between this potential transfer and the one that brought Edouard to Parkhead in 2017, as he would be another young striker arriving from a major European club on an initial loan deal with the possibility of a permanent switch the following year.
Celtic would have the chance to assess Ambrosino and his long-term potential as a Premiership striker in the 2025/26 campaign before making a definitive decision at the end of the season.
The Italian youngster would also arrive at Parkhead in a similar place in his career to the one that Edouard arrived in when he joined in 2017, as the French gem had scored eight goals in 25 academy games for PSG, but only one goal in 17 games on loan at Toulouse at first-team level.
Ambrosino spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan with Frosinone in the Serie B and only managed a return of five goals and three assists in 36 games, but did put up some promising underlying numbers.
Goals
5
Top 38%
Shots
58
Top 12%
Shots on target
16
Top 30%
Chances created
39
Top 4%
Successful crosses
19
Top 5%
Assists
3
Top 16%
Successful dribbles
15
Top 28%
As you can see in the table above, the 21-year-old striker put up plenty of shots and shots on target and created loads of chances for his teammates, which suggests that he has the potential to improve his output if his end product becomes more consistent.
Ambrosino scored 20 goals and provided five assists in 32 games for Napoli’s U19 team in the 2021/22 campaign, which shows that he provided a consistent goal threat as a striker at youth level, just as Edouard did before he exploded onto the scene at Parkhead.
The Italy U21 international, who recently scored a fantastic free-kick against Germany’s U21s, has the potential to develop into a lethal goalscorer for Celtic, if they can help him to take the next step in his career.
Edouard used the Premiership as a platform to thrive as a first-team star, having only shone at academy level previously, and Ambrosino could follow in his footsteps by starring on loan for the Hoops, before joining permanently next summer.
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