Celtic will hope Adam Idah incident, Johannes Hoff Thorup admission speeds up Norwich City deal: View | OneFootball

Idah hasn't turned up to Norwich's pre-season camp in Austria - and that could have an impact on Celtic's pursuit of the player.

Highlights

Adam Idah's future is currently uncertain.

The 23-year-old remains with Norwich City at this stage, but he did extremely well on loan at Scottish Premiership giants Celtic last season.

This has allowed the Republic of Ireland international to put himself in the shop window, with his ability to pop up at crucial times helping Brendan Rodgers' side to win multiple trophies during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, and there have been attempts to bring him north of the border permanently.

Joining during the January window, Idah only had a fairly short amount of time to make an impact in Glasgow, but it's an opportunity he took with both hands with the striker scoring regularly.

However, a move away from Carrow Road isn't guaranteed for the player this summer, even after such an impressive loan spell at Celtic Park.

Latest on Adam Idah's situation at Norwich City

Speaking to journalist Paddy Davitt, Norwich boss Johannes Hoff Thorup revealed yesterday that Idah didn't fly out to Austria with the Canaries' first-team squad.

Following the Irishman's decision, the Canaries are set to discipline the player, something that isn't ideal for the club considering the club faces their first league game of the season against Oxford United in less than a fortnight.

Thorup has taken a hard line on this incident, stating that every player must follow the rules, including Idah.

He then went on to admit that the Scottish side's interest in the player may have played a part in the striker's decision not to travel out to Austria.

Celtic will be hopeful that Adam Idah incident will speed up Norwich City deal

A couple of things could work against the Scottish side.

Firstly, Idah's contract at Carrow Road doesn't expire until the summer of 2028 and with this in mind, the Canaries are in a very strong negotiating position.

Even if they need to cash in on players, something that seems unlikely considering Max Aarons and Andrew Omobamidele were both sold last summer, they have others they can sell.

Jonny Rowe, Gabriel Sara, and Josh Sargent could all attract interest between now and the end of the window, with Sara recently the subject of a bid, so it would be difficult to see Norwich finding themselves under pressure to sell him because of financial reasons.

The possibility of Idah becoming an integral part of the Canaries' squad for next season cannot be ruled out either, with Willy Gnonto managing to force his way back into Leeds United's first team despite being embroiled in an unhelpful transfer saga last summer.

The Irishman could be an extremely valuable first-teamer during the 2024/25 campaign and Thorup probably recognises that, so the Bhoys need to keep an eye on the situation.

This pre-season incident could also help Rodgers' side to get a deal over the line for the player, however, having submitted a £4m bid for the striker earlier this summer.

According to Football Insider, they are set to make a new offer for Idah, potentially in the hope that the incident will pressure Norwich into accepting a bid for him.

If the situation worsens, his situation at Carrow Road could become untenable, if it hasn't already.

This is a situation that needs to be sorted out before the start of the season, because it could potentially affect on-field performance if it doesn't, with the headlines that this story has already created.

They face Oxford away from home for their opening game of the campaign and on paper, they will be expected to come out on top in that clash, but it won't be an easy tie.

Des Buckingham's side will be buzzing after their promotion and keen to put on a good performance in front of their home fans, reinforcing the need for the Idah situation to be sorted as quickly as possible.

From Celtic's perspective, they'll hope that this incident will help push the Canaries into a sale sooner rather than later.