Scottish giants Celtic have only made three signings, including one outfield player, to bolster their squad during the summer transfer window so far.
The Hoops have brought in goalkeepers Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo to replace Joe Hart and central midfielder Paulo Bernardo has joined on a permanent deal, after his loan spell at Parkhead last term.
Brendan Rodgers currently lacks options at the top end of the pitch, though, as Kyogo Furuhashi is his only senior centre-forward in the group.
Hyeon-gyu Oh was sold to Genk earlier in the window and Ireland international Adam Idah returned to Norwich City at the end of last season.
Last month, Sky Sports reported that the Hoops had made an offer of £4m to sign the 6 foot 3 titan on a permanent basis but it was rejected by the Canaries, who value him at a higher figure.
However, Idah featured for the Yellows in their final pre-season friendly, against St. Pauli, on Saturday and appears to be in their plans for the 2024/25 campaign.
Instead of going back in for the 23-year-old attacker, Celtic could focus on a domestic target who has been linked with a move to Ibrox this summer.
Celtic's interest in Premiership powerhouse
Last month, HITC reported that the Scottish giants are one of the clubs in the running to sign Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland to bolster their attacking options.
The Scottish Premiership powerhouse, who won the division's Player of the Year award last term, has emerged as a target for the Hoops, who are looking at alternatives to Idah.
It was claimed that Norwich are demanding a fee of around £8m for the Irishman and that has forced the Bhoys to turn their attention to other strikers, including the Jam Tarts star.
HITC stated that Celtic were ready to step up their interest in Shankland and that they are set to challenge Glasgow rivals Rangers to his signature.
The Daily Record claimed that the Gers are considering a bid to sign the Scotland international and believe that a fee of £3m could be enough to secure his services, as he only has one year left to run on his contract.
This means that Celtic could, potentially, sign Shankland for £5m less than they would need to pay to land Idah before the window slams shut.
With this in mind, Rodgers must press ahead with a deal for the Premiership Player of the Year, as he could come in as an upgrade on Kyogo Furuhashi.
Kyogo Furuhashi's struggles in front of goal
The Japan international is still struggling to recapture his incredible form in front of goal from the 2022/23 campaign under Ange Postecoglou.
Kyogo plundered 27 goals in 31 starts and only missed 16 'big chances' in the Premiership that term in what was a sensational season for the prolific striker.
Unfortunately, Rodgers has not seen the best of his abilities at the top end of the pitch since his arrival at the club to replace Postecoglou in the summer of 2023.
His finishing left a lot to be desired in the 2023/24 campaign. Kyogo produced 14 goals in 31 league appearances – 13 fewer than the previous season – and missed a staggering 24 'big chances'.
He spurned far more 'big chances' and scored significantly fewer goals in the Premiership, which suggests that the quality of his finishing drastically decreased from the 2022/23 campaign to the 2023/24 one.
Kyogo, as the only senior striker at the club, was once again given the chance to lead the line for the Scottish giants against Kilmarnock on the opening game on Sunday, and struggled again in front of goal.
Minutes played
90
Shots
8
Big chances missed
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Duels won
1/3
As you can see in the table above, the Japanese forward was incredibly wasteful with the opportunities that his teammates created for him, with zero goals from eight shots and two 'big chances'.
He scored zero goals from 1.26 xG and his performance is a reminder to Celtic and Rodgers that they need to bring in a player to, at the very least, provide Kyogo with competition for his place this season, which is why Shankland could be an excellent signing.
Why Celtic should sign Lawrence Shankland
The Hoops should swoop to sign the Scottish brute because he is a quality and proven Premiership striker who could come in and hit the ground running.
Instead of taking a risk on a younger player or on someone from abroad who has not experienced Scottish football, Celtic could move to sign a striker who knows exactly what it takes to score goals on a regular basis in the division.
Shankland has scored 208 goals in 418 appearances in his career, including 55 goals in 121 outings in the Premiership, which shows that he knows how to consistently score goals.
In the 2023/24 campaign, the 28-year-old forward racked up 31 goals and eight assists in 47 appearances for Hearts in all competitions – including three goals in four Europa Conference League qualifiers.
The Scotland international has plundered 59 goals and 12 assists in 95 games for the Jam Tarts and outperformed Kyogo in the division last season.
Appearances
37
38
Goals
24
14
Big chances missed
9
24
Conversion rate
18%
14%
Assists
4
5
Big chances created
6
7
As you can see in the table above, Shankland scored ten more goals despite missing 15 fewer 'big chances' and this suggests that the Hearts man was a significantly better finisher.
They both offered a similar level of creativity for their teammates, with only one fewer assist and one fewer 'big chance' created by the Scotsman, but the £3m-rated star came out on top by some margin at scoring goals.
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton described Shankland as a "ruthless" finisher on Saturday, when Hearts faced Rangers, and his statistics back that up.
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Whilst Kyogo continues to struggle in front of goal, Rodgers could swoop in for a striker who would arrive at Parkhead as a significant upgrade in front of goal to provide the Japan international with serious competition for his place.