7 breaking Celtic transfer headlines on wounded £8.5m winger, 'strange' Kyogo claim made and Chelsea get tough
Raul Moro will almost certainly have to wait until the summer transfer window for his big move after learning a broken collarbone is expected to keep him out for up to three months.
The winger had been subject of interest from Celtic and Ajax and an £8.5m move looked on the cards this month, with Brendan Rodgers keen to strengthen in the wide positions. But it all came crashing down for the 22-year-old when he hit the deck against Espanyol. It initially seemed innocuous, but there was soon huge concern, and play had to stop for around two minutes as he was secured to a stretcher and taken off on a medical cart.
His teammates were shaken and local media soon reported he had suffered a broken collarbone. Now Mundo Deportivo say he's out for two to three months which all but kills off any chances of a January move. That leaves Celtic looking to other forward targets like Aston Villa's Louie Barry and Hammarby's Bazoumana Toure. Record Sport first broke the news that a bid was being readied for the former and that's expected to develop in the days ahead.
Elsewhere Atlanta United appear to have moved on from Kyogo but interest from Rennes continues to linger. Their manager Jorge Sampaoli is said to be pushing for the 29-year-old, but the board don't see things the same way and are reluctant to meet the £10m asking price set by Celtic. Pundit Billy Dodds reckons it would be 'strange' for them to let Kyogo go.
He said on The Warm Up podcast: “It would be strange for them to do business right now. I know there probably is interest in him. But you can swat that to one side and just get him to concentrate and maybe let him do what he wants to do at the end of the season. But with the Champions League, it would be strange if Celtic let him go. To go and gamble by changing it when they are doing so well in the Champions League because that’s all they have to look at right now.”
Another position Rodgers is keen to strengthen is central midfield and Chelsea's Kieran Dewsbury-Hall has been linked. Stamford Bridge boss Enzo Maresca appears to have put that on ice for now due to injuries elsewhere – but teased 'anything can happen' in the final days of the window.
The midfielder was billed as a key signing for the Blues in the summer, following Maresca to Stamford Bridge from Leicester in a £30m move. He's struggled to break into the team and hadn't started a Premier League game for them prior to last night's 3-1 win over Wolves. He was influential in that one though and, with Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez injured, it appears he's staying put for now. But the boss was realistic enough to admit things can change fast.
He said: "We are not going to take a decision on Kiernan because of Romeo and Enzo. They are injured, absolutely. I said already, a few days ago or weeks ago, that the intention is to keep Kiernan but then because we are in January anything can happen."