Within the space of 24 hours Celtic have had Lawrence Shankland scouted, been given a hands-off warning and have now apparently cooled their interest in the Dundee United striker.
Tosh McKinlay watched United draw 2-2 with Hibs at Tannadice yesterday with Shankland on the scoresheet to earn his side a replay at Easter Road next week.
The signing of Patryk Klimala and return of Leigh Griffiths has taken some of the pressure away from Odsonne Edouard with The Sun reporting:
CELTIC have cooled their interest in Dundee United star Lawrence Shankland, according to reports.
The Tangerines striker scored in front of Hoops scout Tosh McKinlay at yesterday’s Scottish Cup clash with Hibs.
It came a week after Celts recruitment chief Nick Hammond cast an eye over the Scotland international as he bagged a hat-trick against Partick Thistle.
But the Daily Mail claims the Scottish champions could shelve their Shankland pursuit after the £3.5million capture of Polish forward Patryk Klimala.
The 24-year-old has scored an incredible 25 goals in 26 appearances for Robbie Neilson’s Championship leaders this season.
The initial report appears to be in the print edition of the Daily Mail
After being informed that McKinlay had watched Shankland yesterday Robbie Neilson stated that he expected to hold onto the Scotland striker until the end of the season.
United signed the 24-year-old in the summer as a free agent with the offer of a three year contract.
His goals have played a major part in sending his side 17 points clear in the SPFL Championship with 15 matches left to play. Automatic promotion seems assured but a broken ankle for Nicky Clark leaves Neilson even more dependent on Shankland to secure a return to the SPFL Premiership.
