Arsenal might miss out on Celtic FC forward Odsonne Edouard as the player is currently in talks with the Bhoys over a new contract.
The Gunners have been continuously linked with the 22-year-old and a number of pundits were certain that Mikel Arteta will be able to get his hands on the centre-forward before the new Premier League season begins.
But now, Neil Lennon has dropped a bombshell by claiming that his club are currently holding talks with Odsonne Edouard over an extension and the player is very happy with life at Parkhead.
“There are discussions at the minute with his [Edouard’s] representatives,” said the Celtic boss, as reported by Goal.
“Ultimately he’s a player we want around. He’s a fantastic player. He’s really blossomed over the last couple of seasons. He had a magnificent season this year and we want to keep him. It’s as simple as that. We’re doing everything we can to keep him here for at least another season anyway.
“I think he is [happy]. I think he’s got a fantastic relationship certainly with me and my backroom team and his team-mates.
“You can see how much the supporters appreciate him as well. I think that’s reciprocated.
“He’s grown into a top-class striker. Of course, there is going to be speculation around a player of that quality. But we’re comfortable at the minute with the position we’re in with him.”
Will Arsenal miss out on Odsonne Edouard?
Edouard joined the Premiership side in 2018 and his current deal at Celtic expires in the summer of 2022 meaning at best he will agree to a two-year extension.
While this is a bit of a concern for the Premier League side but they’ll still be able to get their hands on the centre-forward if the Arsenal hierarchy’s willing to make the right kind of offers.
Celtic paid around £9 million to PSG for the services of Odsonne Edouard and as per rumours, Lennon’s side want around £35 million to release him.
Under normal circumstances, this is a bit too much for Arsenal but if they can manage to sell off Alexandre Lacazette for the correct value then Mikel Arteta can utilize that money to fund Edouard’s transfer.
Also, if Arsenal can put considerable money on the table, there’s no way Celtic can refuse to sell their star player, despite how many years he has left on his contract.
