CELTIC will struggle to hold onto prized asset Odsonne Edouard.
That’s the verdict of Ally McCoist who insists it is only a matter of time before the French striker quits the Hoops.
Edouard is smack in the middle of intsense transfer speculation and his value has soared from the £9million the Parkhead club paid Paris Saint-Germain for the 22-year-old hitman in June 2018 to £30million-plus.
Neil Lennon’s side are still reeling in shock after the midweek elimination from the Champions League by Ferencvaros in the east end of Glasgow with the potential loss of £30million in revenue without lucrative group stage encounters for the third consecutive season.
They’ll now go into the Europa League, but McCoist believes the humbling exit could have serious knock-on effects.
The media pundit, speaking to TalkSPORT, said: “Edouard, certainly on current form, is the most valuable player in the country.
“Celtic clearly missed him to a massive degree against Ferencvaros.
“And he must be sitting there thinking – with the greatest of respect to Odsonne Edouard – is he going to say: Okay, that’s us out of the Champions League, but I’ve to 10 in a row to look forward to’?
“No he’s not! Come on, that’s a west of Scotland thing between Rangers and Celtic. That’s not going to affect a big striker with the ability of Odsonne Edouard.
“He wants to play at the top level – and he will play at the top level because he’s a top player.
“It’s given him something to think about. Clearly, Celtic will benefit when the time is right for Odsonne Edouard to move – and I think he WILL move.
“I’m not saying for a minute it’ll happen in the next two or three months, but he will at some point move.
“But that result has certainly given him and his agent something to think about.”
Celtic are bracing themselves for even more transfer tales concerning the French Under-21 international with the current window open until October 5.
