CELTIC CONFIDENTIAL: Why Brendan Rodgers' £9m summer target now looks like he's going elsewhere... PLUS, Snoop Dogg seeks Oasis tickets for him and two Parkhead stars

CELTIC CONFIDENTIAL: Why Brendan Rodgers' £9m summer target now looks like he's going elsewhere... PLUS, Snoop Dogg seeks Oasis tickets for him and two Parkhead stars
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CELTIC CONFIDENTIAL: Why Brendan Rodgers' £9m summer target now looks like he's going elsewhere... PLUS, Snoop Dogg seeks Oasis tickets for him and two Parkhead stars
Published: Feb, 05 2025 02:00

Celtic target David Strelec looks set to end any hopes Brendan Rodgers has of landing him in the summer after Slovan Bratislava revealed he's on the brink of a £9million transfer elsewhere. The Slovakian international striker was strongly linked with a move to the Scottish champions, but Slovan made it clear they wanted big money for the 23-year-old. They were at pains to point out they weren't going to sell him last week, but have had a change of heart after increasing interest despite their hefty price tag.

 [Slovan Bratislava striker Strelec has caught the eye of a number of clubs and is likely to go for a big money deal]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Slovan Bratislava striker Strelec has caught the eye of a number of clubs and is likely to go for a big money deal]

Slovan general director Ivan Kmotrik revealed he expects a deal to go through imminently, with plenty of countries including Turkey, Switzerland, Poland and Austria still having their transfer window open. He said: 'There is a huge explosion of interest around David, the situation is changing from hour to hour. 'In the last two days, we have received an enormous number of offers. Brendan Rodgers looks to have lost out in the battle to sign David Strelec this summer.

 [Rodgers was able to take a closer look at the forward at Celtic Park last September when the two teams met in Europe]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Rodgers was able to take a closer look at the forward at Celtic Park last September when the two teams met in Europe]

Slovan Bratislava striker Strelec has caught the eye of a number of clubs and is likely to go for a big money deal. Rodgers was able to take a closer look at the forward at Celtic Park last September when the two teams met in Europe. 'We are negotiating, discussing this topic, but nothing is closed. So I can't say yet how it will turn out. 'There are countries where the windows are still open. 'Negotiations were very close from clubs in a lot of countries.

 [American rapper Snoop Dog has long insisted that Celtic are his number one football club]
Image Credit: Mail Online [American rapper Snoop Dog has long insisted that Celtic are his number one football club]

'The offers are really too high for us to be able to approach it negatively in any way.'. High on the long list of celebrity Celtic supporters is the American rapper Snoop Dogg, who rarely misses an opportunity to reiterate his liking for the club. If he is not posing in a replica shirt, he is suggesting that he wouldn't mind investing in the club, inspired as he is by Ryan Reynolds' efforts at Wrexham.

 [Snoop has asked pal Noel Gallagher to get him tickets for Oasis reunion gig at Murrayfield]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Snoop has asked pal Noel Gallagher to get him tickets for Oasis reunion gig at Murrayfield]

The record producer and actor's latest plan is to take a couple of Celtic players to see his other passion, Oasis, when the band's reunion tour stops at Murrrayfield this summer. Snoop Dogg wanted to sign Noel Gallagher to his record label in 2009, but the Oasis songwriter has since forged a successful career path of his own with his High Flying Birds. American rapper Snoop Dog has long insisted that Celtic are his number one football club.

 [Kyogo Furuhashi gives the thumbs-up, but Opta stats gave his performance the thumbs-down]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Kyogo Furuhashi gives the thumbs-up, but Opta stats gave his performance the thumbs-down]

Snoop has asked pal Noel Gallagher to get him tickets for Oasis reunion gig at Murrayfield. Still, the two are mates, according to the American, who is hoping that Gallagher can sort him out with a few tickets for one of the three Scottish dates that Oasis have pencilled in. 'The city I want to see them in is Edinburgh, of course it is,' he said. 'If I reach out, I know my boy Noel is going to hook me up with tickets. It would be cool if a couple of the Celtic players could come with me. I'll have to see what Noel can do.'.

 [Stats men criticised Kyogo for having too few touches in 'timid' debut for Ligue 1 side Rennes]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Stats men criticised Kyogo for having too few touches in 'timid' debut for Ligue 1 side Rennes]

Celtic's players might want to think about the optics of that one. Snoop Dogg recently alienated many of his fans by performing at the Crypto Ball, a celebration of Donald Trump's presidential inauguration. And strolling through the VIP gate at Murrayfield is unlikely to go down well with the lifelong Oasis fans who have tried and failed to get tickets for the gig of the century. For all his talents, Kyogo Furuhashi was never one to dwell on the ball, or even touch it very often, as he showed in many a Celtic game.

 [Elena Sadiku was fuming with Celtic's display after they were knocked out of Scottish Cup]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Elena Sadiku was fuming with Celtic's display after they were knocked out of Scottish Cup]

The Japanese striker worked hard out of possession, moved brilliantly and needed just one opportunity to have a devastating impact on the big matches. All of which is a bit new to French club Rennes, who spent the best part of £10million to take him from Celtic and gave him his debut last Sunday. Kyogo took his bow at home to Strasbourg, after which it was pointed out by Opta that he had touched the ball just seven times during his 66 minutes on the pitch.

 [Glasgow City's Brenna Lovera, left, celebrates after scoring winner against Celtic in 3-2 win]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Glasgow City's Brenna Lovera, left, celebrates after scoring winner against Celtic in 3-2 win]

Kyogo Furuhashi gives the thumbs-up, but Opta stats gave his performance the thumbs-down. Stats men criticised Kyogo for having too few touches in 'timid' debut for Ligue 1 side Rennes. That, they said, was the lowest number totalled by any player playing at least 60 minutes of a Ligue 1 match since 2007. 'Timid,' was their assessment of his performance. Not that Rennes seem unduly worried. While their manager, Habib Beye, praised his new signing's defensive display in a 1-0 victory, their fans enjoyed seeing Kyogo at the centre of their post-match celebrations.

If his three-and-a-half years at Celtic are any guide, the goals will not be long in coming. A furious Elena Sadiku has demanded more from her players after Celtic's women were knocked out of the Scottish Cup last Sunday. Twice they took the lead over Glasgow City, and twice they squandered it, eventually losing 3-2 in a rollercoaster of a fourth-round tie at Petershill Park. It means that Celtic, who were beaten by Rangers in the Sky Sports Cup semi-final, have exited two knockout competitions in the space of a fortnight and are left with only the league title to compete for.

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