CELTIC have booted out an £8.4million bid from Fenerbahçe for 33-goal striker Daizen Maeda.
That’s according to a report in Turkish media outlet Sozcu which merely underlines the silly season is upon us early this summer.
Presumably, Jose Mourinho is the man behind the transfer business at the Super Lig outfit who trailed in 11 points adrift of title winners Galatasaray following a fairly forgettable campaign.
If the Portuguese coach, once self-proclaimed rather immodestly as ‘The Special One’, reckons the Hoops hierarchy would accept such a paltry offer you have to acknowledge he has parted company with the plot.
HAPPY DAIZEN…Celtic’s 33-goal marksman celebrates one of his strikes during the season.
Either that, or he is still in a daze after witnessing Fenerbahce being knocked out of the Europa League by an Ibrox team led by Barry Ferguson. That must have dented his considerable ego.
Of course, the report could be the figment of a bored reporter’s imagination. Possibly it’s a slow day for news in Istanbul.
Either way, any team looking at an experienced 27-year-old Japanese international, who has just completed his most prolific campaign with a sequence of excellent performances and an array of breathtaking strikes, will have to figure they are going to have to start the bidding in the £20million region.
Maeda still has two years to run on his contract and the champions have made him an enhanced offer in an effort to persuade him to stay.
The report also states Fenerbahce have been told it will take £21million to persuade the Hoops to part with their top scorer who scooped every Player of the Year award in the country after his remarkable efforts.
I doubt very much if Celtic, with the super-savvy Peter Lawwell as chairman, would name a figure when they could simply wait for bids to come in and see who wants the player most and is willing to pay a realistic price for his services.
NO WAY, JOSE…Mourinho barks orders to his players as Barry Ferguson relaxes with hands in his pockets as the Ibrox club eliminate Fenerbahce from the Europa League.
Mourinho will realise his team are bereft of a regular goalscorer with unpredictable forward Allan Saint-Maximin returning after his loan to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli who paid £23million to Newcastle United for the Frenchman.
He demonstrated so convincingly against Wee Barry’s team why he netted a mere four goals in 31 appearances throughout the season.
Unsurprisingly, Ange Postecoglou, who took Maeda to Parkhead from the J-League in January 2022, was being linked with a move to lure him to Spurs before being sacked this evening just 16 days after taking the London club to the Europa League.
With trigger-happy Spurs supremo Daniel Levy around, anything is possible.
What most certainly won’t happen, though, is Celtic even looking at a bid of £8.4million for Maeda.
I realise it is the silly season, but the lunatics haven’t taken over just yet.
ALEX GORDON
