Eboue Kouassi has four months to prove that he is worth a permanent deal with Genk.
The midfielder went on loan to the Belgian side last week after more than a year out of action mainly due to a cruciate ligament injury.
Celtic paid Krasnodar over £2m for the young Ivorian who arrived in January 2017 with glowing reviews and predictions that he was set to go on to greater things.
Celtic’s central midfield is the most competitive area of the team with the arrival of Olivier Ntcham in the summer of 2017 and his successful first season pushing Kouassi further down the pecking order.
The 22-year-old has played one Reserve Cup match this season but is up against the clock to impressive at Genk who are currently in fifth place in the Belgian League.
Metro Belgium reported:
Eboue Kouassi is loaned with an option to buy to Genk until the end of the season by Celtic. “He now has four months to show what he is capable of and if he will be on our team next year,” said sporting director Dimitri De Condé during the presentation of the 22-year-old Ivorian median on Tuesday.
Kouassi had caught Genk’s attention three years ago when he was playing in Krasnodar, Russia. It was finally Celtic who recruited him in January 2017.“We have been following him for a long time, at the time when Wilfred Ndidi left. We continued to follow it, ”explained De Condé. “We recruited him on loan. He now has four months to show the potential that we saw in him at the time. He is very enthusiastic and we hope that this transfer will be an opportunity. “
Kouassi is under contract with Celtic until June 2021 but a nominal fee and sell-on clause would probably secure his departure on a permanent basis.
