The latest on Celtic and Michel-Ange Balikwisha as Brendan Rodgers firms up interest

Celtic’s early summer transfer activity has primarily focused on goalkeepers, but the club is now ready to move on to other positions.

The arrivals of Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo mean that no additional work is required in that department other than to shift out those who are not in Brendan Rodgers’ plans, such as Benjamin Siegrist.
If Celtic are to build on last season’s double success, they will need to inject quality throughout the team.

This includes the attacking flanks, where another winger could increase productivity in the final third by combining with Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, and others.

Michel-Ange Balikwisha has been reported as a candidate for this position in recent days, with Celtic reportedly in talks with Royal Antwerp about a possible signing.

Brendan Rodgers takes a personal role in the Balikwisha pursuit.
Journalist Sacha Tavolieri, who was at the heart of reporting on Hyeongyu Oh’s move to Genk and appears to have strong contacts in Belgium, reports that Celtic’s manager has now spoken personally with the player, advancing the club’s interest.

However, Balikwisha is a wanted man, and Tavolieri reports that French club Rennes is also in contact with the player’s representatives.

They recently sold the impressive Martin Terrier to Bayer Leverkusen and are looking for another attacker.

Balikwisha is in demand following a strong 2023/24 season.
The 23-year-old’s preferred position is on the left wing, but he can play on either side or centrally. He scored ten goals and assisted eight others for Antwerp last season, demonstrating his offensive prowess.

Stat-trackers Fotmob describe the attacker as an industrious performer, with numbers indicating that he excels at pressing and defence. That would go well with the Celtic style.

No attacking midfielder won more tackles per 90 minutes in Belgium last season (1.95), and he also had the highest interceptions per 90 minutes (1.1) and duels winning percentage (53.5%) compared to similar players in the rest of the division.