The transfer rumour mill is well and truly powering up and Celtic have been linked with deals for three rising Premier League stars in the last 24 hours.
Brendan Rodgers has been transparent about his desire to add firepower to his ranks next month despite things going swimmingly for him so far. He’s lacking a third choice striker to offer depth beyond Kyogo and Adam Idah, but more pressing is perhaps the need for more reliable options out wide. Luis Palma isn’t fancied and, with James Forrest injured, it leaves the unconvincing Yang as the only senior winger beyond Nicolas Kuhn and Daizen Maeda.
It seems Rodgers is on the lookout for players who can wear a few hats and Carney Chukwuemeka is a name who just won’t go away to that effect. He’s primarily an attacking midfielder who can play out wide and Football Insider say both he and his Chelsea teammate Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a more traditional holding midfield player, are of interest to the Hoops.
It’s claimed Celtic are ‘monitoring’ both players who are firmly out of favour at Stamford Bridge. Chukwuemeka, a £15m signing from Aston Villa in 2022, has been limited to Conference League and League Cup football this season, while 26-year-old Dewsbury-Hall set them back £30m from Leicester in the summer but has managed just 15 appearances all in.
Elsewhere it’s also claimed Celtic retain an interest in Man City talent James McAtee. He’s been on the fringes of things under Pep Guardiola this season but has found it difficult to break in even despite their dire form leaving the defending champions seventh in the table. A similar profile to Chukwuemeka, he was linked with the Hoops in 2023, Rodgers aware of his talents from his own time managing in the Premier League.
He spent last season on loan at Sheffield United but TBR say that Celtic are in a long queue of clubs, which includes five Premier League sides as well as Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta, who are keen on the 22-year-old.
How likely are deals for Chukwuemeka, Dewsbury-Hall and McAtee?
All three? Highly unlikely. Individually? That’s where it gets interesting.
Of the three, Chukwuemeka appears to have the most legs, this January at least. He’s been linked for weeks now and appears to be most in need of a move away, having stagnated for almost two years at Chelsea since his big move from Aston Villa. The Stamford Bridge side have stockpiled talent and the former England youth cap will be looking for somewhere he can get back to playing regularly. A loan deal, perhaps with a buy option in the summer that would see Chelsea recover the chunky end of their investment, doesn’t look an impossibility by any means. Of the three, he’s the most natural fit for a wide position which makes him the best suited to fill the gaps Rodgers needs.
His Chelsea teammate Dewsbury-Hall looks the least likely of the trio. Having been the standout player of Leicester’s Championship charge last season and, at 26 and nearing his peak years, a move to Scotland perhaps wouldn’t appeal in the same way it would to one of the younger players. Another Premier League club, ore one near the top of the English Championship, looks the most likely option for him.
Man City star McAtee meanwhile was linked in the past and appears a natural alternative to Chukwuemeka. He’s an outright No.10 and perhaps not as suited to playing off the flank, but has done so in the past and his creativity in the middle of the park could give them something they haven’t really had since Matt O’Riley left – Paulo Bernardo and Arne Engels not racking up the numbers the Dane managed in his stunning final season. Now 22 the time may be right for him to leave City permanently, and with his contract up in 2026, City will be having a think over his future if he’s not going to be featuring any time soon. He’s another one who may suit a loan with a buy option.