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Celtic Lose out on Thomas Henry, Turn Their Attention To Georgios Giakoumakis

August 24, 2021
Chintan Devgania

Celtic lose the race for Jupiler Pro League side OH Leuven striker Thomas Henry to Serie A club Venetia. The Hoops have now turned their attention to VVV Venlo striker Georgios Giakoumakis, according to reports.

Thomas Henry was the top scorer for the Belgian club with 21 goals last season. He has scored a total of 45 goals and handed out 12 assists in 79 matches across all competitions over the last two-and-a-half seasons for OH Leuven. This burst of form led to his price skyrocketing in just a couple of seasons and the player is now being valued at around £7m.

It was earlier reported that Celtic were leading the race to sign the Frenchmen and was considered as an ideal replacement for their current striker Odsone Edouard, who is being linked with a move away from the club.

Moreover, the 26-year-old’s UK representative, Paul Tait, told Football Insider that the player’s preference is to join Celtic, but only if a transfer fee can be agreed between the two clubs. However, as a shock to Celtic and all its fans, Italian club Venetia confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old striker last evening.

Now, it is being reported that Celtic have shifted their focus on signing Greek striker Georgios Giakoumakis from Dutch second division side VVV-Venlo. Reports also state that the Hoops made a formal approach to sign the forward after the Eerste Divisie lowered their asking price to £3m.

Georgios Giakoumakis netted 29 goals in 33 games across all competitions last and was the top scorer in the Eredivisie with 26 goals, despite the club getting relegated. VVV Venlo have permitted the player to speak directly with interested clubs.

However, the Hoops face competition from Bundesliga 2 side Werder Bremen for the striker’s signature. The 26-year-old striker is a wanted man by the German side as they are smitten by the player’s qualities. Now, it all depends on the player as he weighs up a move between Celtic and Werder Bremen.

An agreement has already been reached and Celtic have agreed to pay an initial fee of £2.5m with the Dutch side. A sell-on clause is set to be included in the deal which will entitle Venlo to a percentage of the player’s next transfer fee.

Nevertheless, the in-demand centre-forward has named Werder Bremen as his preferred destination and is holding for a deal to be reached with the German side. The stumbling block is the difference of opinion on the salary, with the club and the player miles apart on the annual wage.

What might be music to the ears of Celtic supporters is Bremen conceding their inability to secure a deal due to finances and have given up on their pursuit to sign the player. This is the perfect opportunity for the Bhoys to go in and sign the player on the wage he wants.

Celtic have already signed Kyogo Furuhashi and if they are to lose out of Odsonne Edouard, they would want to cash in on the player and make good use of that money to recruit a new striker in form of Georgios Giakoumakis. The Greek forward will not only make up for the departure of Edouard but will also be a major contributor to the plans of Ange Postecoglou. His signing brings in healthy competition and bags of goals.

The prospect of Georgios and Furuhasi partnering up is certainly exciting. Moreover, the Venlo striker’s move to Parkhead will ensure enough striking options for Ange and allowing the club to shift focus on bringing in a few defensive reinforcements.

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