Celtic: £60k-a-week star now 'would love to seal return' to Parkhead | OneFootball

Celtic have Mohamed Elyounoussi on their 'radar' and he would 'love a return' to Parkhead, Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph has told GIVEMESPORT.

After heading back to Glasgow for a second stint in the Bhoys' dugout, boss Brendan Rodgers is looking to strengthen the squad he inherited from Ange Postecoglou.

According to BBC Sport, Elyounoussi refused to rule out the possibility of completing a move to Celtic ahead of the upcoming campaign.

The report suggests the Norway international is assessing his options after a number of clubs have shown an interest.

Elyounoussi is a free agent as his £60,000-per-week Southampton contract expired at the end of last month, meaning Celtic will not have to part with a transfer fee in order to secure his services.

The winger joined Celtic on loan for the 2019/20 season after struggling to break into Saints' first-team plans, but he then remained with the Scottish Premiership giants for another 12 months.

Elyounoussi, who cost Southampton £16million when he sealed a switch from Swiss side Basel in 2018, was unable to stop the south coast club suffering relegation from the Premier League last term.

What has Anthony Joseph said about Elyounoussi?

Joseph has no doubt that Elyounoussi will be on Celtic's list of targets, while a return to Parkhead would be of interest to the 28-year-old.

The Sky Sports reporter believes the Norwegian would suit the style of play Rodgers is looking to implement with the Bhoys.

Joseph told GIVEMESPORT: "He'll be on Celtic's radar. I'm sure he'd love a return to Celtic as well. They could do worse than signing Elyounoussi again.

"He's probably more of a Brendan Rodgers-type player than a Ange Postecoglou player. He's got great technical ability and is quite a tricky player. But he's one of those wingers that likes to cut in and create rather than being a direct winger."

Would Elyounoussi be a good signing for Celtic?

Elyounoussi has already shown that he is capable of producing the goods in a Celtic shirt, with Transfermarkt statistics highlighting that he scored 24 goals and registered a further 14 assists in 67 appearances over the course of his two seasons on loan.

Although he only found the back of the net once during the 2022/23 campaign, it should be remembered that Southampton finished bottom of the Premier League and were desperately low on confidence.

Sofascore data shows that Elyounoussi averaged 1.4 tackles and 1.1 clearances per Premier League outing last term, so it is clear he is valuable when it comes to attempting to regain possession.

That will not be underestimated as Rodgers, who led Celtic to 118 victories during his initial stint at the helm, looks to build on the foundations put in place by Postecoglou.

Having racked up 185 goal contributions over the course of his senior club career, Elyounoussi would be a shrewd addition to the reigning Scottish Premiership champions' squad.