MARSEILLE have opened talks with Celtic over the transfer of Moussa Dembele, according to reports.
The French giants hope to steal a march on the likes of Everton and AC Milan to land the Hoops hitman, who blasted 32 goals last season. But Brendan Rodgers is NOT prepared to let the striker leave until after the Champions League qualifiers.
Sky Sports claim Parkhead chiefs are demanding in the region of £20million for the 21-year-old, who is regarded as one of the hottest prospects in Europe.
Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Juventus have all expressed an interest in the French Under 21 international.
But Marseille are confident they can pull off a major coup and bring the ex-Fulham kid back to his homeland.
It is believed Olympiens bosses opened negotiations with Celtic in Glasgow on Saturday as the club played Rangers in a 1-1 friendly draw at Ibrox.
Celtic would prefer to keep Dembele in Scotland for at least another season. However they look certain to rake in a Scottish record transfer fee for the forward who they signed for just £400,000 last summer.
Last month, Hoops boss Rodgers refused to rule out a summer exit for Dembele.
He said: “Moussa is very content and happy.
“He looks very fit and hasn’t had a long lay-off. He went away with France Under-21s. He is someone of great character.
“He is very stable, nothing affects him. Of course he is not a player we want to sell. “Like all the players we want to keep him, but we know how football works and we will see what happens.
"But certainly not until after the Champions League qualifiers, there won't be anything done before that. That goes for all the players."
Last summer Dembele’s agent and mentor, Momadi Fofana, persuaded him to move north when there were more lucrative offers on the table.
Fofana has a firm belief in helping his client develop as a footballer rather than take the biggest cheque dangled in front of them.
From The Sun
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