Southampton’s chances of selling Mo Elyounoussi could be set to take a hit as Celtic eye up a summer deal to sign Rodrigo Riquelme from Atletico Madrid.
According to Corriere dello Sport, as translated by Sport Witness, Celtic have made a “big economic offer” for Riquelme, who is set to be out of contract at the end of the season.
The report compares Riquelme to Barcelona and France star Antoine Griezmann in the way that he plays.
This could be a huge blow to Southampton and Elyounoussi, as Riquelme could be signed as a replacement for the winger. They both play in similar positions and, as it stands, Elyounoussi is due to return to Southampton this summer, when his loan spell ends.
If Celtic are able to snap up Riquelme from Atletico, they could then have no need to pursue a permanent deal for Elyounoussi. Southampton could then need to find other suitors for Elyounoussi, either for a loan or a permanent move, in order to get him off the wage bill for the 2020/21 campaign.
One hope for Southampton could be that Elyounoussi has a strong finish to the season and does enough to convince Celtic that they should sign him, along with bringing Riquelme in.
This could be the ideal situation for all parties, as Celtic get two forwards and Southampton offload a player who is surplus to requirements.
