Celtic manager Neil Lennon would reportedly jump at the chance to sign Mo Elyounoussi on a permanent deal from Southampton in the summer.
According to Football Insider, Lennon wants to keep Elyounoussi at Celtic Park next season following the end of his loan spell in Scotland.
The report claims, however, that the Hoops are waiting until the end of the season to see if they are able to afford the winger, with Southampton said to be wanting up to £10m for his services.
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We feel as if Southampton are well-stocked in the wide area, so it could be a good move for the club to allow Elyounoussi to leave permanently in the summer.
The Saints already have Nathan Redmond, Sofiane Boufal, Moussa Djenepo and Stuart Armstrong who can play in the two wide roles, meaning that Hasenhuttl has two options in each position already. This means that Elyounoussi could have to oust several of them to even stand a chance of getting in the team at St. Mary’s next season.
On the other hand, Southampton could cash in on the Norweigan international and try to recoup as much money as they can for him. The report claims that Southampton want between £8m and £10m, which appears to be a reasonable fee given he failed to register a single goal or assist in the Premier League after a £16m move to Southampton in the summer of 2018.
If Celtic are willing to pay £8m to £10m for the winger, it could be a shrewd bit of business for the Saints. It could mean they get a player surplus to requirements off the wage bill, whilst possibly recouping a reasonable fee to potentially add to their own transfer budget for the summer.
