Celtic target ‘will sign’ for new club, West Ham and Fulham on the move for the striker

Celtic have the chance to bolster their ranks over the next couple of months

Celtic target Fotis Ioannidis from Panathinaikos is closing in on a move to Sporting Lisbon.

That’s according to a report by Foot Mercato,

who claim the striker ‘will sign’ for the club in Portugal this summer ahead of next season.

Ioannidis, who is 24-years-old, has been linked with a switch to Celtic in the upcoming transfer window

as they hunt for signings under Brendan Rodgers.

They won the Scottish Premiership title once again in this past campaign ahead of rivals Rangers,

as well as winning the Scottish Cup.

However, the Hoops are keen to freshen up their ranks and bring in some new faces to

ensure that they can push for trophies once again next year.

In addition, they want some more quality in their squad to make themselves more competition in Europe.

But because Ioannidis seems to be headed to Sporting Lisbon, they will need to consider other possibilities up top.

The Portuguese powerhouses will be hoping their prospective new recruit can follow in the footsteps of Viktor Gyokeres,

who they signed from Coventry City a year ago and has since become a hit with his present club.

Adam Idah, a forward for Norwich City,

joined Celtic during the January transfer window and spent the second part of the previous campaign on loan.

He returned to Carrow Road after scoring nine goals for Rodgers’ team,

and it is unclear if he will be crossing the border again.

There are other teams that have reportedly expressed interest in Ioannidis recently besides the Hoops.

The Sun said that West Ham and Fulham, two Premier League teams,

were reportedly considering making a move to try and entice him to go to London.

The Greece international, who has played in 10 international matches for his nation so far,

came from Levadiakos to Panathinaikos in 2020 as a young player. Over the next four years,

he has been an important member of the Greek powerhouse.

Having scored 40 goals in 142 games and finding the net 23 times in the previous season,

he has put himself on the radar of other teams, including Celtic.

Rodgers has recently explained what lies in store for his side on the recruitment front over the next couple of months and said:

“I’ve always said about adding quality to the squad. There’s going to be a natural change in the summer.

“Some of the players will have been here for three years and if you look at the cycle at Celtic,

then there is normally that change in that third year.

“It’s getting another step in the types of profile I would want within the squad to allow us to progress and develop.

“But this season, I’ve been really proud of the team and come the summer, we’ll look to add those bits of quality.

We’ve got the likes of Joe [Hart], who is retiring so we have to fill that void as well.

“But it’s a really bright future, we have to take that into pre-season and then we’ll look to fly from the beginning of next season.”

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