Celtic are braced for a January bidding war for red-hot hitman Odsonne Edouard.
The Hoops ace rattled a hat-trick for France Under-21s in their 5-3 win in Slovakia on Tuesday night – where the striker was watched by a battalion of scouts from Europe’s big leagues.
Edouard is being tracked by several sides from across the continent, including Europa League opponents Lazio, Serie A rivals Roma and Napoli, as well as German big guns Borussia Dortmund.
Ligue 1 outfit Lyon are continuing to keep tabs on the frontman as they fear losing ex-Celt Moussa Dembele to the English Premier League when the transfer window reopens in the new year.
Edouard was on the radar of several sides last summer but his sensational form for France Under-21s has made him one of the hottest properties in Europe.
The former PSG kid has fired in nine goals in four games for France – and incredibly bagged 38 in 33 matches for the Baby Bleus at youth levels.
Celtic are expecting firm interest in January but have told Edouard’s advisors they won’t consider a switch until the end of the season.
The striker has admitted he is content with life in Glasgow.
But the Hoops could eventually bank another record-breaking fee following the sale of Dembele to Lyon for £20million last season and Kieran Tierney’s blockbuster £25m move to Arsenal in August.
Celtic are preparing for all eventualities with new head of football operations Nick Hammond already on alert.
The former Reading and West Brom director of football was yesterday confirmed as head of football operations for the Hoops after arriving on a short-term move in the summer.
Hammond worked closely with boss Neil Lennon over the summer to bag key targets such as £16m Southampton ace Mohamed Elyounoussi on loan, along with Stoke’s Moritz Bauer and £3m defender Boli Bolingoli.
Hammond said: “Celtic is a special club and I’m delighted to take up this position. We have done some good work over the summer.
“I wanted to play my part in continuing to improve the club’s processes and ensure we continue to recruit and develop the best possible players we can at Celtic.”
