Kalidou Sidibe to Celtic transfer silence broken as boss 'isn't fooled' and knows player wants to talk
Celtic have been given a boost in their pursuit of reported target Kalidou Sidibe, with the Guincamp star's manager under no illusions about the prospect of the midfielder moving on this summer.
The Hoops are looking to build from a position of strength in the summer window, with next season's Champions League qualification play-off not too far away.
Attacking options will be high on the agenda, with talk around Brondby frontman Mathias Kvistgaarden and Slovakian striker David Strelec - who were both targets for Celtic in January - not going anywhere.
But reports in France have linked the champions with 26-year-old Sidibe in recent months, who stands at a colossal 6ft7 inches.
The Paris-born player is into the final 12 months of his contract with the Ligue 1 club, who are said to value him at around £1.7million.
And Guincamp boss Sylvain Ripoll admits he knows the towering midfielder will be open to moving elsewhere should the right opportunity arise.
Asked by Le Telegramme, about the prospect of Sidibe and young midfielder Hugo Picard remaining with the club going into next season, Ripoll replied: "I'd hope so, but I'm not fooled either.
"They probably want to see what's going on there.
"They only have one year left on their contracts.
"As long as their interests are protected, the club will listen.
"So there must be the requests the players want and the club must be protected.
"But if they stay with us, I would be very happy."
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