Celtic have made an initial enquiry for Bologna forward Sydney van Hooijdonk, according to the Corriere di Bologna (via Sport Witness).
The Italian publication claims that the 23-year-old will be made available when the transfer window reopens in January.
Van Hooijdonk, the son of former Hoops star Pierre, has struggled for game time this season, having made just one start for Bologna.
The Dutchman did make the most of that opportunity, scoring in the Coppa Italia against Hellas Verona during a 2-0 win at the end of last month.
Celtic are likely to have watched van Hooijdonk’s performance last campaign
While he hasn’t played much for Bologna in recent weeks, the striker did have a very impressive spell out on loan at Eredivisie side Heerenveen.
During the 2022/23 season, van Hooijdonk hit the back of the net 19 times in all competitions. It is, therefore, somewhat surprising that he hasn’t been afforded more opportunities following his return to his parent club last summer.
A new forward is a top priority in January for Brendan Rodgers
The Scottish Premiership champions have been overly reliant on Kyogo Furuhashi. Backup no.9 Oh Hyeon-gyu did impress by scoring a brace off the bench in the 6-0 victory over Aberdeen before the international break but the general feeling is that the Hoops are lacking depth up front.
Van Hoojdonk is the right age and has already proven that he can score goals in a top European league, so an approach for the former Netherlands Under 21 international can’t be ruled out.
It remains to be seen, though, whether Celtic want to bring him in on a loan deal or if they are prepared to secure his signature on a permanent basis.
