Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard has been tipped to move out of Scotland in the summer and as per the Express, Premier League giants, Arsenal are currently the front runners to signing him.
Edouard joined the Bhoys in 2018 from PSG and this season, he’s netted 21 goals and provided 12 assists in just 27 Premiership matches which is why, apart from Arsenal, Newcastle United are also keen to make a move for the 22-year-old.
And according to transfer expert Ian McGarry, moving to NUFC could be the right move for Odosonne Edouard since he will get guaranteed game time at St James’ Park.
“He has been attracting interest from a lot of clubs, mainly in the Premier League but also in Europe as well,” McGarry said on the Transfer Window podcast.
“A player who has been instrumental this season in Celtic’s rise to be 13 points ahead of Rangers as things stand.
“There is interest from Newcastle United who are determined to make sensible investments regarding player recruitment rather than using the scattergun approach which other Premier League clubs who have been taken over and invested in by nation-states or indeed wealthy individuals [have used].
“Edouard is valued at £40m by Celtic but of course in this current market, they’re unlikely to achieve that kind of figure for the player.
“Newcastle are still waiting for their takeover to be confirmed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund but are very keen to take Edouard, partly on the basis that he is someone who wants to play football every week, he and his representatives have stated to interested parties that he doesn’t want to go to a club where he will be second or third choice, he wants to develop his career in a very constructive and progressive way.”
Arsenal still favourites to land Odsonne Edouard?
Despite the heavy interest from Newcastle United, it is Arsenal who are still leading in this transfer race primarily since the Gunners have a better chance of getting back into the Champions League.
Surely, NUFC will bring in a lot of big names once their takeover is complete but they will need a number of years before they can finally be ready to challenge the big boys. And by this time, Arsenal could already be a force to reckon with.
As far as the playing time is concerned, Arteta will only try and sign Odsonne Edouard from Celtic if Lacazette was to head to Barcelona with would automatically mean the new signing will be the first-choice centre-forward at the Emirates.
But amidst this fierce transfer battle, it is Celtic who are going to be the eventual winners as Neil Lennon could finally get around £40 million in exchange of the 22-year-old.
