Arsenal and Manchester United target Odsonne Edouard could reportedly end up staying at Celtic, with the Hoops starting negotiations over a new contract.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Celtic manager Neil Lennon has confirmed that the club are in talks with star striker Odsonne Edouard over the possibility of signing a new contract. The Frenchman has been linked with a move to Arsenal and Manchester United.
Edouard joined Celtic from PSG in 2017, initially on loan before making the transfer permanent in 2018. During his time with the Scottish giants, the French striker has grown leaps and bounds, producing prolific numbers over the last two seasons.
The 22-year-old was the main driving force for Celtic in 2019-20 as they romped home to a ninth consecutive Scottish Premiership title. His tally of 27 goals and 19 assists in 45 games hasn’t gone unnoticed with a number of clubs in England taking an interest in the striker, with Arsenal and Manchester United among them.
Manchester United were looking for reinforcements in the centre-forward department as question marks had emerged over the future of Odion Ighalo, whose loan spell was on the verge of expiry. This had led to the reported interest in Edouard. But given Ighalo’s age and the nature of his deal, United may have to revisit their interest in Edouard in the future.
However, the Red Devils reached an agreement with the Nigerian star’s parent club, Shanghai Shenhua, to extend his stay till January next year. With Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Ighalo all available at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s disposal, there is no pressing need for a new striker at Old Trafford at the moment.
Arsenal, on the other hand, will be need to strengthen their attack next season as both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are facing uncertain futures at the club. The former is entering the final year of his deal and has long been linked with an exit. The latter, on the other hand, has struggled for form and could be offloaded to make room for new signings.
While it does seem highly unlikely that Arsenal would let both their star marksmen leave, either one of them could be on the move, thus opening a spot in the attack. And Gunners’ boss Mikel Arteta has reportedly identified Celtic’s Edouard as a potential signing to fill the vacancy.
However, Edouard’s touted move to Arsenal or Manchester United has been cast into doubts as Celtic boss Neil Lennon has confirmed that the club is trying to tie him down to a new deal. He said: “Yes, there are ongoing discussions at the minute with his representatives. We’re doing everything we can to keep him here for at least another season anyway.”
While the lure of playing for clubs of the stature of Arsenal and Manchester United is sure to appeal to Edouard, at Celtic, he will get a chance to make history next season as the Hoops chase an unprecedented tenth consecutive league title.
Edouard’s current contract with Celtic runs till 2022. It now remains to be seen of the former PSG ace pens a new deal or decides to move on in the summer.
