Celtic plotting January swoop for Martin Boyle | OneFootball

Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Martin Boyle to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Times (via the Glasgow Evening Times), who claim that Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side are keeping a very close eye on the Hibernian winger ahead of a potential swoop this month.

The report goes on to state that Hibs will demand a fee in the region of £3m in order to part with the 28-year-old, with a number of Middle Eastern clubs also reported to be keen on the Australia international.

Speaking about Boyle earlier this season, Postecoglou said: “I know Martin really well. I was pretty pleased when he chose to play for Australia because there was a bit of an arm wrestle when it came to who he was going to play for.

“He’s done really well for the national team so I’m well aware of him. He’s a good player and it’s not easy playing for Australia. Unlike other national teams, he’s got to do long-haul travel and getting back to this part of the world isn’t easy. So he’s handled that really well.”

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Postecoglou could repeat Stokes masterclass

Considering just how impressive Boyle has been for Hibs so far this season, it is unsurprising to learn of Postecoglou’s interest in the forward – particularly considering the pair’s link via the Australian national side.

Indeed, over his 19 Premiership outings in the current campaign, the £2.25m-rated man has already scored a very respectable seven goals, registered three assists and created six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.4 shots and making 1.6 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Neil Lennon dubbed an “outstanding” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.12, ranking him as Hibs’ best performer in the top flight of Scottish football this term.

As such, considering his impressive eye for goal and the fact he plays his football at Easter Road, Potecoglou could go on to replicate Celtic’s masterclass of the £1.31m signing of Anthony Stokes back in 2010 – a player who went on to score a whopping 76 goals and provide 64 assists over just 192 appearances for the Bhoys.

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Indeed, should Celtic manage to prise Boyle away from Hibs this January, we would not bet against the winger having a similar impact to that of the former Republic of Ireland international, with the 28-year-old appearing to be a superb candidate to add further depth to the Bhoys’ wide attacking options ahead of the second half of the season.