Celtic have been linked with a move for Sardar Azmoun.
According to reports in The Sun and the Daily Mail, who both had reporters on the official charter to Kazakhstan yesterday, the Rubin Kazan striker is a target for Brendan Rodgers before the transfer window closes next week.
Azmoun is valued at £10m but has yet to score in seven appearances this season for Rubin Kazan, five of them as a substitute, although he did play and score in last seasons Champions League against Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich.
So far his career has been spent playing for Rubin Kazan and Rostov with a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling required last summer to confirm his return to Rubin Kazan after being on loan at Rostov.
After stating that he was happy with two strikers earlier this season Brendan Rodgers appears to have had a rethink due to injury concerns over Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths.
Dembele hasn’t played 90 minutes since the Scottish Cup semi-final win over Sevco in April while Griffiths has been dogged by muscle injuries.
With no other striking options James Forrest has been forced into playing in that role but without a genuine striker Rodgers has admitted that his side loses its balance and shape.
Any type of deal for Azmoun looks complex, as an Iranian he’d need a work permit to play in the UK, but it does demonstrate that Rodgers has no intention of going into the Champions League without a full compliment of strikers.
