Celtic have seen a bid for Iran forward Mehdi Ghayedi rejected by Shabab Al-Ahli but intend to return with another offer, according to sports journalist Hatam Shiralizadeh

The lowdown

The 23-year-old is predominantly a left winger but can also play on the right and through the middle. His club compete in the UAE Pro League and currently sit in fourth place, just outside the AFC Champions League qualifying spots.

Ghayedi is under contract for another four-and-a-half years and is valued at just under £1.1m by Transfermarkt.

Ange Postecoglou already has nine forwards at his disposal, having added Daizen Maeda and Johnny Kenny to his ranks already this month, but it has been reported that Celtic could look to offload one of their existing options in Albian Ajeti during the current transfer window.

The latest

Shiralizadeh tweeted that Shabab Al-Ahli had rejected an offer from Celtic for Ghayedi, as they are relucant to sell him this month, but the Hoops are not set to go quietly in their pursuit of the 23-year-old.

The journalist outlined: "Shabab Al Ahli have turned down an official bid from Celtic for Mehdi Ghayedi. UAE side don't want to sell the Iranian striker in January, however, Celtic are determined to sign the young talent, so they are planning to offer a new bid for the 23-year-old."

The verdict

Ghayedi would arguably be a risky signing for Celtic if Ange Postecoglou were to raid Asia once more, having brought in Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi from the J1 League since taking the reins at Parkhead.

The Iranian's record this season is reasonable - three goals and one assists in 11 league appearances, only six of them starts. Having been named as Iran's young player of the year, he has also earned opportunities at senior level, scoring in just his second game against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Could he cope with the step-up in quality to Scotland, though? No club from the UAE Pro League features in FiveThirtyEight's list of the top 645 sides in the world, while UEFA rank the Scottish Premiership as one of the 10 strongest divisions in Europe.

That said, Furuhashi joined from Japan - a 'largely untapped' market in the words of Kris Commons - and he is the Hoops' top scorer this season, so perhaps we shouldn't be too quick to make a judgement on what Ghavedi could do if he becomes Celtic's latest Asian acquisition.

In other news, Celtic are on the brink of this £6m deal