Celtic fans probably didn’t expect the transfer bombshell which arrived on Christmas Day, with claims from Sky Sports that Moussa Dembele could be on his way to Brighton & Hove Albion for an £18m fee.
Denials have quickly come from Celtic, even on Christmas Day, and the move seems to make little sense for anyone other than Brighton at this point. Celtic will surely look for a higher fee when they do come around to selling Dembele, and the Frenchman will surely believe he’s better looking for a bigger opportunity.
Nevertheless, the claims have made waves around Europe, and for Calciomercato it’s a chance to once again point at the Premier League’s huge finances. The Italian media outlet say Brighton would be signing Dembele from Celtic as a move to avoid relegation back to the Championship.
Calciomercato say a newly promoted team signing a player for £18m would be ‘pure science fiction’ in Italy, and shows that clubs will increasingly struggle to compete with Premier League money.
Juventus and AC Milan are both credited with interest in Dembele, and in Italy it’s clearly thought such a move would be more suited to the Celtic player.
Brendan Rodgers probably doesn’t want him going anywhere just yet.
