Celtic have made a formal enquiry for West Ham United striker Callum Wilson as the Scottish champions intensify their search for attacking reinforcements in the January transfer window.
Veteran Striker Set for Free Agency
The 33-year-old England international is in the process of terminating his contract with the Premier League club and is anticipated to become a free agent within the coming days. Wilson has fallen down the pecking order at West Ham under manager Nuno Espirito Santo, omitted from the last two matchday squads behind newer arrivals Taty Castellanos and Pablo.
This development has alerted several clubs, with Everton and sides from Saudi Arabia also reportedly considering offers for the experienced forward, who previously starred for Newcastle United.
O'Neill's Attacking Priority
Celtic boss Martin O'Neill has publicly identified the centre-forward position as a critical area for improvement. The need was highlighted despite a 1-0 victory over Falkirk in midweek, secured by a goal from Benjamin Nygren.
"You can tell that we definitely need to get a centre-forward," admitted the 73-year-old Northern Irishman. "Young Johnny Kenny has done really fine in the games but I think it’s really harsh to put that kind of pressure on a young lad."
The Glasgow giants have struggled to adequately replace the firepower of Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah since their departures last year, leaving a noticeable gap in the squad.
Title Race Pressure Mounts
Celtic's search comes amid a fiercely competitive three-way title race with Hearts and Rangers. Currently sitting second, six points behind leaders Hearts, performances have been inconsistent. Match-winner Nygren issued a stark warning after the narrow Falkirk win, stating the team must improve.
"We all know that we need to put in stronger performances to win games," said the Swede. "Today was not good enough. We cannot continue with performances like this... For sure, I can give Falkirk some credit. They played a good game, but we didn’t."
Beyond Wilson, Celtic have been linked with other forward options including Chelsea's David Datro Fofana, whose loan at Turkish side Fatih Karagumruk may be cut short, and NK Celje's Croatian striker Franko Kovacevic. To date, however, the loan signing of Julian Araujo remains their only January business.
The club faces a crucial period with fixtures against Auchinleck Talbot in the Scottish Cup, a Europa League encounter with Bologna, and a pivotal league trip to Tynecastle to face Hearts.
