Celtic are keeping tabs on Swansea City striker Liam Cullen ahead of a potential move to the Scottish Premiership, according to reports.
What's the latest on Cullen's future?
The Hoops have striker Kyogo Furuhashi attracting significant interest from Premier League outfit Crystal Palace, who could potentially be set to make an offer for the Japanese superstar at the end of the season. Should he depart, Ange Postecoglou will need to find a suitable successor, and it seems the 24-year-old Cullen could be just the candidate he's looking for.
The Welshman is an academy graduate of Russell Martin's side, where since returning from a short loan spell at Lincoln City, he has become a regular feature of the senior first-team, making 68 appearances to date. The Championship forward, however, will be out of contract next summer, meaning that the upcoming window will be the final big opportunity for his boyhood club to cash in should he not agree to signing a new deal, and being his side's second best-performing offensive player, he won't be short of a potential suitor if he was to move on.
According to Football Insider, Celtic, alongside English second-tier sides Middlesbrough and Sunderland, are all "tracking" Cullen in a bid to secure his services ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Swansea's £2.5k-per-week striker's performances have placed him firmly "on the radar" of the Hoops, Boro and the Black Cats, with all three admirers hoping to bolster their attacking ranks this summer.
Should Celtic make an offer for Cullen?
Celtic will know that Cullen's contract expiring next summer could mean that there is a cut-price deal available at the end of the season, and having been hailed as a forward who "drags defenders apart" with "underrated" movement by journalist Josh Bunting, the board should absolutely test the waters to see whether he wants to make the move north of the border.
The left-footed ace has clocked up 63 goal contributions (51 goals and 12 assists) in 165 appearances throughout his career so is prolific at taking his chances in the final third, and he also ranks in the 99th percentile for non-penalty expected goals plus assists, which highlights that even if he's not always on the scoresheet, he constantly looks like a threat in and around the opposition box.
Finally, Cullen is an extremely versatile operator having played in six various positions since bursting onto the professional scene, including anywhere across the frontline, out wide on both flanks included alongside his natural centre-forward role, so this should be a no-brainer of a decision for the hierarchy to make should the opportunity to sign him arise in the weeks and months ahead.