Latest news with #Michel-AngeBalikwisha
Daily Record
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Celtic hit the button on Michel Ange Balikwisha transfer as signing chase reaches climax
Antwerp have been holding out but now the Premiership champions are primed to push for the winger they covet most Celtic are set to up the ante to try to finally seal a move for Michel-Ange Balikwisha. The Hoops have been in talks with club officials at Royal Antwerp to land the winger over multiple weeks. Antwerp boss Stef Wils admitted publicly at the weekend that his star man wanted to make the move to the Premiership champions. The issue is that Celtic's offers so far have been below the Belgian side's valuation but the Hoops are hoping that a deal can be struck somewhere in between and are pushing for the outcome. They also know Balikwisha is in the last year of his contract and if they don't sell in this window they his value will plummet. Celtic have been keen on the 24-year-old for more than a year and were ready to move before he suffered his last injury. Celtic have already sold Nicolas Kuhn to Italian side for more than £17 million to further boost the club's coffers. Balikwisha operates primarily on the left wing and his signing would be a statement of intent days after Brendan Rodgers appealed for added firepower in the final third with Jota missing until 2026. Balikwisha's agent Jibril Rekkab – speaking exclusively to Record Sport – was keen to play it cool. However, we understand Celtic are primed to strike. Rekkab said: "Michel-Ange is not closed to the idea of joining Celtic, but the club would still have to come forward. No discussions are underway." You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Celtic page, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Celtic community here.
Daily Record
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Michel Ange Balikwisha to Celtic transfer addressed by agent as winger's private feelings made clear
The winger is in demand this summer and Royal Antwerp look to boost their coffers Royal Antwerp winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha's agent has lifted the lid on a potential move to Celtic. Brendan Rodgers is looking to add more firepower to his frontline - with a new winger on the Parkhead shopping list this summer. Reports in Belgium had suggested that 24-year-old Baliikwisha is a target for the Scottish Premiership champions with claims that a deal was "close" to bring wide man to Glasgow's east end. Sporting director at cash-strapped Antwerp Marc Overmars has admitted that the club are open to selling their key men - with Balikwisha expected to be on the list of departures with his contract set to expire next summer. However, the player's representative Jibril Rekkab insists that while the Belgian is not against the idea of a move to Celtic - but talks have yet to take place. He told Record Sport: "Michel-Ange is not closed to the idea of joining Celtic, but the club would still have to come forward. No discussions are underway." Celtic have been keen on the 24-year-old winger for more than a year and were ready to move before he suffered his last injury. The Hoops have already sold Nicolas Kuhn to Como for more than £17 million and Balikwisha is one of their top wide options they see as his replacement. Meanwhile, Celtic have been urged to put their best bid forward if they want to firm up their interest in Cukaricki midfielder Andrei Bacanin. The 18-year-old has also been linked with Ajax, Udinese and rivals Rangers. Cukaricki sports director Vladimir Matijasevic has admitted that their young Serb is likely to be sold amidst growing interest over the next week or so. Matijasevic said: 'There is a lot of interest in our young players and currently the focus is on the transfer of Andrej Bačanin. 'He attracted the attention of numerous clubs by playing for our team last season, but also for the Serbian national team at his age. 'We've had calls from Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers, Ajax, Udinese, and some other teams are interested. 'It is possible that some other options will appear and I expect the transfer to be realized in the next ten days. "I expect that this will be another big outgoing transfer from Čukaricki, which would cover the budget of our club". The Hoops are also likely to confirm Marco Tilio's move to Rapid Vienna in the coming days. Record Sport revealed that the Austrians were closing in on a deal for the Australian international. The move will see Tilio move to Rapid on an initial loan with an obligation to buy for around £1.5 million after he makes a set amount of appearances.
Scottish Sun
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Biggest hint yet that Celtic could FINALLY seal deal for long-term transfer target as manager admits star could be sold
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CELTIC have been given the biggest green light yet when it comes to the pursuit of one of their top transfer targets. The Hoops have already added six new players this summer but Brendan Rodgers won't be stopping there. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 2 Michel-Ange Balikwisha (c), has been a key man for Royal Antwerp Credit: AFP So far Kieran Tierney, Ross Doohan, Callum Osmand, Benjamin Nygren, Hayato Inamura and Shin Yamada have arrived at Celtic Park in the current window. But one name who's been mentioned in connection with a move to the Parkhead club long before some of them is Royal Antwerp winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha. Celtic have been tracking him for over a year now but the speculation has intensified in the past couple of months. Indeed, Balikwisha missed training last week amid the ongoing interest from the Hoops. That came after reports suggesting a deal was close and that Celtic were ready to offer up a hefty sum to land the winger. But he has been used in pre-season friendlies by boss Stef Wils and scored in a recent win over Willem II. But the Antwerp manager, who is fearing a fire sale at the club as they desperately look to raise funds, concedes they may have to cash in on Balikwisha. When asked directly about the possibility of selling the 24-year-old forward, he said: "That's possible, yes. "I'm just working with the guys who are here at the moment. They all have the qualities to play here, so it would be foolish not to use them." Balikwisha started his professional career with Standard Liege, scoring nine goals in 40 appearances during his breakout 2020-21 season. Former Celtic star Greg Taylor stuns PAOK team-mates as he belts out Abba tune for his initiation song He played over 40 games in two of the last three seasons, with injuries limiting his playing minutes during the most recent campaign. But the Belgian still managed four goals in 16 matches. The fee is as yet unknown. Balikwisha is in the last year of his contracr and valued at around £6m by Transfermarkt. 2 Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Scottish Sun
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers issues major transfer update after pre-season defeat to Estrela da Amadora in Portugal
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRENDAN RODGERS insists Celtic must go for GOALS in the transfer market. As SunSport first revealed, Celts are closing in on a £1million deal for Kawasaki Frontale striker Shin Yamada. 3 Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers Credit: PA 3 Michel-Ange Balikwisha of Royal Antwerp Credit: Getty They are also in talks with Royal Antwerp over a swoop for winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha as a replacement for £17m Nicolas Kuhn who joined Como. And Rodgers is eager for those negotiations to get over the line ahead of the big kick-off to the season. He said: 'There's work going on behind the scenes. 'It's clear we need to improve the squad. 'There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes, there's loads of names floating about. 'We're clear that we need to improve our frontline. 'We lost Kyogo in January and another player with Nicolas gone. 'That's a lot of goals that's gone out of the team. 'So for us, we need to strengthen that area of the field. But the guys back home are working hard on that.' Japanese left-back Hayato Inamura played the second-half in the 3-2 defeat to Portuguese side Estrela da Amadora on Saturday and looked solid again after his debut in Cork last midweek. Inside the Estádio Nacional as Robert Grieve takes you on a tour of the famous venue which hosted Celtic's 1967 European Cup win over Inter Milan But Celts are still looking for more back-up for Kieran Tierney - who played 45 minutes - with Brugge left-back Flavio Nazinho on their radar. Rodgers added: 'The pre-season is always to asses. 'We know the model here at the club is always to improve them. 'Sometimes that means they come in and you assess and look, and look to see what's right for the development of them and the team. 'That's what I'm about, getting a collection of individual players that I can see development and improvement in. 'If they are going to be close to the first-team, they'll stay and do that. If not, we may feel they need to go out. Ina's that example. 'I just wanted to get the chance to see him and we'll continue to do that. 3 'But we know in the background that if we need to move on that position, that if we need to move on that position, that's something that we will be ready to do.' Celts lost 3-2 to Portuguese outfit Estrela da Amadora in the behind-closed-doors friendly in Benfica's training complex. Reo Hatate and Adam Idah hit the net but some poor defending proved costly for Rodgers' side. He added: 'There were some good moments for us. 'We're only two weeks into our preseason and the guys have had a really tough week which has been demanding. 'They were playing against a good side that move the ball well. They were a physical team too so it was a really good exercise for us.' Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Daily Record
26-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Celtic transfer window explodes with five deals in motion from Como 'talks' over Kuhn to £5.1m defender 'offer'
Talks are escalating at Celtic Park over incoming and departing talent Things are starting to pick up for Celtic this summer. Brendan Rodgers is set to land Fulham striker Callum Osmand as well as Norwegian winger Benjamin Nygren to follow up on Kieran Tierney's sensational return to Glasgow's east end and the signing of Ross Doohan. But things aren't slowing down for the Scottish champions with Champions League qualifiers just around the corner. The Scottish Premiership champions could bring in some new faces - as well as move some fringe men out of the door. But who is on the agenda? Record Sport takes a look. Nicolas Kuhn Celtic are reportedly in talks with Como over the sale of Nicolas Kuhn amid escalating interest in the winger. The German star has Newcastle United and RB Leipzig keen on a deal this summer after a campaign that returned an impressive 21 goals and 15 assists - with the 25-year-old turning in notable performances in the Champions League as the Hoops claimed a domestic double. Reports have suggested that the Scottish Premiership champions have placed a £15million price tag on the forward - with claims emerging from Germany placing Leipzig as the frontrunners for a deal. But Como are said to have made their move to derail a switch to the Bundesliga, with Sky Italia that the Serie A side have launched "serious" talks over a deal. Michel-Ange Balikwisha Michel-Ange Balikwisha appears to be moving back up the Parkhead agenda with reports in Belgium suggesting that Royal Antwerp are ready to lower their asking price for the 24-year-old. Voetbal Primeur claim that talks have reached a deadlock over the £5.1m asking price - but they now state that a the deal could go as low as £4.6million with Antwerp in need of a financial boost. CEO Sven Jaecques has admitted they must sell this summer telling HLN: "Marc (Overmars, director of football) and the scouting are working very hard to put together a competitive core. "It is a fact that the departures are needed and has an impact on the group. We have to deal with that. This is an opportunity for other guys to stand up. 'But we are not going to allow an exodus." Herba Guirassy Celtic have also been credited with an interest in Nantes winger Herba Guirassy - but the French side are set to demand big money for the wonderkid. Despite being just 18, the Angers-born player was a regular in Ligue 1 last season. And the Hoops may have to be quick to get a deal over the line - with L'Equipe report that Club Brugge are "considering" an approach. Greg Taylor has yet to decide his future with his Celtic contract rapidly approaching an end. The Celtic left-back is weighing up his options ahead of his current Parkhead deal expiring this month - with Rodgers previously stating he is keen to keep the Scotland cap and see him battle it out with Tierney. But both PAOK and FC Copenhagen are said to be chasing a deal for the soon-to-be free agent. However, amid the waiting game the Greek side are "reconsidering" their interest in the 27-year-old, according to Sportal. Veljko Milosavljevic Red Star Belgrade defender Veljko Milosavljevic is also said to be on the agenda - with Mozzart Sport reporting that the Hoops have followed up on interest earlier this summer. The Serbian side are reportedly holding out for a £9million fee - but Celtic representatives have "offered" £5.1million for the 17-year-old, which has been rejected.
