Celtic open to summer offers for Liel Abada

Celtic are open to offers for forward Liel Abada with an approach already being plotted this summer, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Abada scouted in January

The Hoops winger only made the move to the Scottish Premiership back in 2021 so isn’t out of contract until 2026, but being Ange Postecoglou’s second top-performing offensive player, has been generating interest.

The Athletic report that Southampton have identified the 21-year-old as an ideal target having sent scouts to watch him in January, with a view to making their move at the end of the season.

Maccabi Petah Tikva president Avi Luzon, the player’s former club, recently admitted that he thinks the Israel international will leave Parkhead at the next available opportunity. He said:

“I believe he will be sold in the summer to the Premier League. There were talks already in the last window, but he didn’t want to be sold.

“They offered him a contract extension and I know he didn’t agree, because he wants to be sold. I don’t know the names of teams, but there are offers and I believe at a probability level of over 90% that he will move to the Premier League in the summer.”

The Latest: Saints plotting approach

According to the Daily Mail (via the Southern Daily Echo), Southampton are ‘ready to pounce’ for Abada following a ‘breakdown’ in talks to extend his stay at Celtic.

The St. Mary’s outfit are claimed to be ‘long-term admirers’ of their target and are ‘likely’ to try their luck ahead of the new term.

It’s stated that a fee of £10m would be ‘enough to tempt’ the Bhoys into sanctioning a sale with the boss having already committed to using transfer funds to invest further into his squad.

The Verdict: Don’t let him go

Abada won the Best Young Player award in the Scottish Premiership in 2022 and considering the positive impact he makes, it’s important that Celtic don’t let him leave in the summer.

The Hoops attacker has posted 15 goal contributions in 29 league outings so far this season and he’s currently averaging 3.55 shots per game, form which has seen him receive three man-of-the-match awards.

The Petah Tikva native is also comfortable playing out wide on both the left and right flanks alongside up front, making him an extremely useful option to have in the building.

Abada has been dubbed a ‘dangerous’ player by journalist Josh Bunting and even the thought of losing him is a huge blow.