Gudjohnsen In Hoops?

Frustrated Barca Forward Looking At Move To Glasgow

By Tony Quinn

Given the time of year the air is thick with speculation as to which fortunate souls will be playing in the famous Hoops next season and also which poor buggers will be driving away from Paradise.

First of the players rumored to be on his way is Maceo Rigters who has recently said that he would relish the chance to link up with Evander Sno at Parkhead. The NAC Breda striker has been watched closely in action by both Celtic and Newcastle at the European under-21 championships currently taking place in his homeland. "I know Celtic have been watching me," he said. "My best friend Evander Sno plays for Celtic so that would be beautiful. If it's the case that Celtic and Newcastle are interested, then that would be fine as they are both big clubs with tradition and a long history.

"It would be great if it happened as I'm open to all offers and for myself as a footballer I'm ideally suited to Scottish or English football. We'll see, but I don't know anything and I haven't heard anything from my agent. But he knows that it has always been my desire to play in Britain."

Further out in the realistic universe are rumblings of the impending arrival of Barcelona's Eidur Gudjohnsen although the player himself has admitted that Celtic have made inquiries. Gudjohnsen has been playing well for Barcelona but he has spent a lot of time on the bench and is thought to be growing frustrated. The former Chelsea attacker would not come cheap, and is has been rumored that Man Utd could make an offer worth around £8million. However, he was quoted in the Daily Mail last week suggesting he is at least considering a move to Celtic. He said: "Barcelona decide to place me in the market then I need to study all the details. But a perfect choice for me will be a club that plays in the Champions League. Obviously Manchester United fit that category. I know there has been some contact with English clubs and with Celtic but the answer to this question does not rely just on me." Earlier in the week reports claimed Celtic were set to hold talks this week with AC Milan midfielder Massimo Donati. The 26-year-old was due to fly to the UK to discuss a possible move to the Bhoys this summer. His agent says he is very interested in Celtic's proposal and wants to hear what the club has to say.

The champions have also been linked with a move for Sampdoria midfielder Gennaro Delvecchio during the summer transfer window. The arrival of Delvecchio, 29, would be another major coup for Celtic on the back of Scott Brown's £4.4m signing. Delvecchio won his first cap against Croatia last year and has been part of the Italy squad for four of their last five Euro 2008 qualifiers. The 6ft 3in hardman, sent off last season for head-butting Marco Materazzi, spent a decade in the Italian lower leagues before making his Serie A debut for Lecce in 2005 then moving to Sampdoria.

The Strachan 'Italian Job' continues as Celtic also look set to move for France Under-21 captain Ricardo Faty, slated as the ideal replacement for ex skipper Neil Lennon. The 20-year-old 6ft 4in Roma player was signed on a five-year deal from Strasbourg for £350,000 12 months back, but has failed to make the breakthrough. One player who looks to have made the grade and is close to putting pen to paper is Cup final goalscorer Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe, said to have been offered a three-year contract. The Cameroon international was on loan from Rennes when he scored the late winner against Dunfermline. But the 28-year-old is hoping to return to the Scottish champions after becoming a free agent. His agent Willie McKay said last week: "I am hoping to get something sorted out with Celtic over the next couple of days."

Those players who maybe in a taxi leaving Paradise include; Maciej Zurawski, Thomas Gravesen, Kenny Miller Craig Beattie and Jiri Jarosik.

Zurawski has admitted he had a poor season - but says he wants to stay at Parkhead and rediscover his once-impressive form: "Nobody at the club gave me any reason to feel myself unnecessary. I don't intend to go anywhere and I am not afraid of the competition from the newly-signed strikers. The fact that the club is strengthening does not mean that someone wants to get rid of Zurawski. There will be a strong competition and this is nothing strange. My second season at Celtic was plagued by injuries and I scored only 10 goals. I agree that this was not a good season, but it was not a catastrophic one. I was still among the club's top goal- scorers."

Thomas Gravesen's agent, John Sivebaek, says the midfielder will stay and fight for his place at Parkhead. The Dane found himself frozen out in the closing stages of the season and has been strongly linked with a move to Sheffield United and Sunderland, but Sivebaek said: "I think Thomas will still be at Celtic next season. He will fight to get back into the team. That is the way he wants to act as a professional footballer. He wants to prove that he can be a success at Celtic. I still think he is a really good footballer and I do not know why he has not been playing at Celtic.

"For me it is strange, but it is the manager's decision. It is not up to us if he is going to play. Thomas has never expressed a desire to leave Celtic. He is very happy at the club and very happy with the fans. I thought he started off well at Celtic. He scored six goals, which he has never done in a season before, but then things went wrong. Only Gordon Strachan can say what went wrong. But I have no plans at this moment to come over for talks with Celtic."