Celtic ‘Not Forgotten’ Target As ‘Internal Factors’ Cited

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Celtic have ‘not forgotten’ Royal Antwerp star Michel-Ange Balikwisha, but ‘internal factors’ have slowed down the Scottish champions’ swoop to land him this summer.

The Glasgow giants had an excellent campaign last season, retaining the Scottish Premiership title and reaching the Champions League knockout stage. 

Brendan Rodgers wants to strengthen his squad this summer, as he will be keen on keeping Celtic’s dominance in the Scottish Premiership and doing well in European competition. 

Celtic, who have already signed Kieran Tierney and are set to land Benjamin Nygren, are looking to bring in more players and 24-year-old Royal Antwerp’s Balikwisha is high on their transfer wish list. 

The Scottish outfit approached Antwerp with the intention to secure Balikwisha’s signature and have held talks.

However, they have yet to wrap up the deal by agreeing to terms with the Belgian side but remain keen to complete the deal. 

According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Celtic have ‘not forgotten’ about the winger and it is ‘internal factors’ at the Scottish side which have slowed down the swoop.

However, Antwerp and Celtic both are determined to get the Belgian’s move completed in the ongoing window. 

The Belgian outfit want a fee in the region of €6m for Balikwisha, who missed a large part of last season due to a muscle injury. 

Balikwisha came through Standard Liege’s academy system and joined Antwerp in the summer of 2021.

The left-winger has so far racked up 141 appearances for the Belgian side with 27 goals and 17 assists under his belt.

Celtic also have Crystal Palace’s Jesse Derry on their wish list and the youngster is set to leave the Eagles after the expiry of his contract. 

They are facing competition for his signature as Derry’s agent visited Germany to hold talks regarding a potential move.