Henry Onyekuru to Celtic was one of the more dramatic transfer stories towards the end of the winter window. The Eupen player had his head turned, with Brendan Rodgers and Celtic ready to sanction a deal that would have been worth around £1m.
Onyekuru felt there was some sort of understanding that he could leave Eupen for a reasonable fee, which he assumed the Celtic offer would be, and was dismayed when informed he wouldn’t be going anywhere.
So annoyed was Onyekuru that he went AWOL with the hope of forcing a transfer through to the Scottish Premiership club. That little stunt didn’t work and the youngster was eventually brought back into the fold, with some kind of assurances that next time he can go.
In February Onyekuru was asked if Celtic have the upper hand to sign him in the summer, and replied: “I don’t know, but I’m leaving in the summer.”
Belgium’s DH report on Tuesday that Onyekuru has a promise leave and, perhaps more importantly, his club are already planning for what happens next. Eupen are trying to arrange their plans so that there’s no precession of exits.
Should Celtic still want Onyekuru then it’s probably wise they work on it early in the window, because if other players leave before, then the ‘promise’ may well be broken.
Celtic are also likely to be up against competition from others, but with the progression of Moussa Dembele under Rodgers, Celtic Park is surely now a more attractive destination for bright young things.
