POLE POSITION
Celtic weighing up £6million bid for Lech Poznan right-back Gumny
CELTIC are considering a £6million move for Polish right-back Robert Gumny.
A long-standing Parkhead target, the 21-year-old is expected to leave Lech Poznan before the transfer deadline on September 2.
Highly-rated Gumny almost joined Bundesliga side Borussia Moenchengladbach in January 2018 before the deal collapsed following the results of a medical.
Parkhead boss Neil Lennon is in the market for a
have cooled, while Scotland’s champions have also been linked in Norway with a move for Rosenborg left-back Birger Meling — with TV2 pundit and ex-player Jesper Mathisen claiming the full-back is being tracked as a possible replacement for Kieran Tierney. Last night, Meling’s agent Anders Carlsson told Sportsmail he knew nothing of a move by the Parkhead club, while senior Rosenborg sources also played down any interest. Lennon, meanwhile, has told midfielder Olivier Ntcham he still has a big role to play at Celtic. Clubs in Portugal and
France were linked with a move for the 23-year-old this summer after he irked the Parkhead boss by claiming the standard of Scottish football was ‘not high’. With Celtic holding out for a £12m fee, however, the Frenchman looks set to stay put in Glasgow. And, following a starring role in Saturday’s 5-2 thumping of Motherwell, Lennon insists he wants to keep him. Speaking before tonight’s finely poised Champions League second-leg qualifier with CFR Cluj, he said: ‘As long as Olivier is here, I want him here. I don’t want him to go. ‘Obviously, for a while, he was thinking maybe his future lay elsewhere but we’ve tried to reiterate to him that we want him here and we want his future to be here.’ Lennon held clear-the-air talks with the £4.5m signing from Manchester City after he was quoted in the French press saying he wanted to go. ‘Celtic has given me a lot but leaving is the best solution for my development,’ said Ntcham. ‘We can do as many matches as we want but, with all due respect for my opponents, if the level in front is not high, you do not progress.’ With the overseas transfer window open until September 2, the likes of Porto and Marseille could still make a move. Hopeful that Ntcham will buy into the idea of extending his stay in Glasgow, however, Lennon added: ‘I think so. I’m hoping so. ‘He’s training really well. He seems happy and settled. We just want more of the same because we’ve got a helluva player there. ‘He does things in training — he’s got real flair about him and ability. You saw that on Saturday as the game wore on. ‘His all-round game is good. He needs maybe a little bit of defensive work at times. He could use his body better or do the yards a little bit more. ‘But on the ball, he’s just got that little bit of maverick about him. He’s a beautifully balanced footballer. ‘At times, he’s too good a player to leave out. ‘He just needs to be consistent now. He’s set himself a really good benchmark and, to be fair, he made a really good contribution when he came on in Romania, too. ‘He will definitely come into contention tomorrow night.’ Celtic face Cluj at Parkhead tonight bolstered by a valuable away goal from James Forrest in last week’s 1-1 draw in Romania. And the winger could now land a new contract as Celtic look to tie down their prize assets. Responding to a report claiming interest in Forrest from Zenit St Petersburg, Lennon said: ‘It’s speculation. Obviously, we’re not going to sell. ‘We actually want to look to renegotiate with him and maybe one or two others here as well. ‘He’s happy here. At 28, going away is a big choice to make but we’re nowhere near that. ‘I don’t have a price for Jamesie. I know there have been prices quoted but it would take a fair transfer fee to prise him away from what we want from him here.’