Martin O’Neill has confirmed that Kasper Hogh is close to becoming a Celtic player.
The striker was left out of the Bodo Glimt side on Wednesday amid speculation that Celtic were in negotiations for a transfer.
At lunchtime on Saturday, soon after Ipswich announced the signing of Daizen Maeda a number of reports suggested a deal had been struck for Hogh to move to Celtic.
Celtic have been running low on strikers over the last 18 months.
Camilo Duran was signed on July 10 and has responded with three goals in three friendly appearances.
Asked about Hogh following the 2-2 draw with AC Milan O’Neill (40 seconds) said:
I’m hoping that that will happen. I think there’s a good chance of it. But until someone’s actually signed and sealed, there might be things still up in the air but it’s certainly progressing.
Without going too deeply into it, that’s the calibre of player that we’d be looking for, who has scored goals in the Champions League. I’m hoping that players coming into the football club who are of some sort of substance, I think that would be the exciting thing for fans. I’m hoping that’s the case.
Last season, I don’t know where we found our way, but we did. For most of the time that I was here, we struggled to score goals.
We did get goals, but when you don’t have a recognised striker in the team. I mean, Maeda had come up brilliantly for us in the last six or seven weeks of the season, but we didn’t have that. So that would be a big plus for us if we can do that.
A fee of £11m is being reported on the Hogh story with the Dane expected in Scotland tonight ahead of a medical.
Five Champions League goals last season against Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Sporting put Hogh and Bodo Glint in the spotlight.
Celtic’s attempts to find scorers in January ran aground with Tomas Cvancara and Junior Adamu.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Maeda re-emerged in the spring time to power Celtic to the domestic double.
In season 26/27 those two will be turning out for Bursanspor and Ipswich Town.
During the calendar year 2025 Celtic lost the goal threat of Kyogo Furuhashi, Adam Idah and Nicolas Kuhn. Shin Yamada was the only striker signed, within 12 months he has twice been sent out on loan.
With Hogh and Duran Celtic should have a credible goal threat in the season ahead. As back up they can call on Callum Osmand and Johnny Kenny.
The board will try and choreograph a triple parade of signings next week.Hogh,Bauer and Greg Taylor,silence the dissent and that will be it ,no more signings this window.Still leaving the squad desperately short.