John Hartson can’t get his head around how Celtic landed Moussa Dembele for just £500,000.
Chelsea and Spurs were keen on the French striker in January but failed to follow up their interest.
Moving within England would have involved a compensation fee of around £4m but a cross border deal saw Fulham pick up just £500,000.
As soon as he was out of contract Dembele penned a four year contract for Celtic with the rest of the game discovering the young French forward on Wednesday night with a remarkable double against Manchester City.
Hartson knew a thing or two about bullying defenders but after Wednesday’s masterpiece the Welshman is in awe of the deal that took him north of the border.
“Watching the Manchester City game, it’s clear the sky is the limit for Dembele,” Hartson admitted in The Sun. “He can become an absolute superstar like Drogba.
“It’s mind-boggling to think Celtic only paid £500k to get him from Fulham. What an amazing piece of business that is.
“I wouldn’t want to put a price tag on him right now, but Dembele could smash the Scottish transfer record a few years down the line if he keeps progressing.”
Comparing the Dembele deal with the transfer madness in England Hartson added: “Put it this way. West Ham paid a £5million LOAN fee for Simone Zaza in the summer.
“If they want to sign the Italian permanently, it’s another £20m. Who would you rather have in your team? A 25-year-old Zaza or 20-year-old Dembele. It’s no contest.
“Rodgers was joking when he said £15m would only get you Dembele’s toe — but there was a very serious message there.
“Why should Celtic sell players on the cheap? When the time comes for Dembele to move on, they should demand the going rate but that shouldn’t be for a few years yet. Dembele made a mature decision to sign for Celtic, and it’s the best place for him right now.
“Dembele was in demand, and could have gone to a big club in England, but he would have found it a lot tougher to get game-time.
“At Celtic, he’s in the team, scoring goals, playing Champions League football and progressing at a rapid rate.
“He should look at his manager and realise that Rodgers is someone who will help him achieve his potential.”
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