Celtic remain in contention to sign Bologna striker Sydney van Hooijdonk, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Romano said he expects the Dutchman to leave Italy before Thursday, but the Hoops could have competition from other clubs to secure the forward’s services:

“The expectation is for van Hooijdonk to leave in the window’s final days. There is interest from different countries, from the Eredivisie, and I’m also hearing from Portugal. A club from Portugal have tried to approach Bologna for van Hooijdonk. There is also Celtic interest; this is true.”

“So, there are three or four possibilities. I think van Hooijdonk will decide with Bologna at the beginning of the week because they want to ensure he will play regularly. This is important for Bologna as they trust the player for the future.”

Why is van Hooijdonk available?

Bologna have recently recruited Santiago Castro from Velez Sarsfield, which means van Hooijdonk is deemed surplus to requirements by the Serie A club.

The 23-year-old was already behind his fellow countryman, Joshua Zirkzee, in the pecking order and, if he stays, he will have even fewer opportunities to play. Back in the summer, when links between the striker and Celtic first emerged, it was reported that Bologna were demanding €5m (£4.3m) for the player, but the asking price is likely to have been lowered as his club look to offload him before the deadline.

Celtic are considering several different options to strengthen their forward line

In addition to van Hooijdonk, the Scottish champions have also been credited with an interest in Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland, Leeds’ Joe Gelhardt and Aberdeen’s Bojan Miovski.

Based on Romano’s reporting, it does appear as if van Hooijdonk is the option that will be seriously pursued in the last couple of days of the transfer window.