Celtic Have A Bid Rejected For This Tunisian Attacking Ace: Why They Must Not Give Up The Chase | OneFootball

According to a recent report from The Daily Record, Celtic are believed to be pursuing Hammarby’s attacking ace, Sebastian Tounekti, but have had their initial £2.6m bid rejected. The Swedish side are holding out for between £4.3m and £5m for their prized asset, and the Hoops must double their offer to have him at Parkhead.

The 23-year-old  Norway-born Tunisia international spent his youth years with Tromsdalen before breaking into the first-team squad. He was then roped in by the Norwegian heavyweight Bodø/Glimt, but was loaned out to Groningen for the 2021-22 Eredivisie campaign. The youngster featured for their reserves and resumed his senior career with Haugesund a year later.

After a brief loan stint with Ranheim, Tounekti featured regularly for Haugesund last year. Hammarby snapped him up in February for €1.2m and would only let him depart within six months if their valuation is met before the window is slammed shut. They would secure a significant profit from the player’s sale, and the Hoops, having been eliminated from the Champions League playoffs following a dreadful defeat against the lowest-ranked Kairat, are finally making their moves after weeks of indolence.

WARSAW, POLAND – JULY 14: Sebastian Tounekti from FK Bodo/Glimt fights for the ball with Luquinhas from Legia Warsaw during Legia Warsaw v Bodo/Glimt – UEFA Champions League 2021/22 First Qualifying Round Second Leg at Marshal Jozef Pilsudski Legia Warsaw Municipal Stadium on July 14, 2021 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images)

The ‘board’ received fans’ fury during last midweek’s scoreless draw against the Kazakh side at Parkhead. Things went from bad to worse as the Champions League jackpot is now blown away due to their lack of transfer activity all summer.

Why Celtic Are Eyeing Another Attacker

They not only lost Jota for months with an ACL injury, but also parted ways with Nicolas Kuhn, who completed a mega-money move to Como earlier in this window. Neither did Celtic replace Kyogo Furuhashi up top since January, nor has Brendan Rodgers deployed Benjamin Nygren as an attacker. Instead, the Sweden international is being considered as a box-to-box midfielder ahead of Arne Engels, thus leaving the club with James Forrest and Daizen Maeda as the only available senior wide attacking options.

Although they are finally closing in on a £4.5m transfer for their long-term target Michel-Ange Balikwisha, the Northern Irish boss is reportedly keen on another winger to restore depth and quality high up the pitch. The Celts have so far rejected offers for Yang Hyun-Jun, but Chris Davies, Rodgers’ former assistant, who is now in charge of Birmingham City, is plotting a surprise move for the South Korean wideman. This could be a busy few days for the champions of Scotland; however, the damage is already done, and it remains to be seen how the gaffer overcomes the crisis before the weekend’s Old Firm clash.