Abildgaard’s Celtic exit dismissed as ‘gossip’ while Hoops watch Ligue 1 striker

Fraser Fletcher

• Updated: 1 Jan 2023 13:11 GMT
• 3 min read

Exclusive

Reports that Celtic are ready to terminate the loan of Oliver Abildgaard have been dismissed as nothing more than “gossip”, FootballTransfers can exclusively reveal.

There has been no contact between Celtic and Rubin Kazan over the Denmark midfielder’s loan being terminated, despite the 26-year-old having limited opportunities with the Scottish Premiership leaders.

Abildgaard was signed in the summer with the understanding that he did not have a full pre-season behind him. The result of this was that he managed just 156 minutes of football across all competitions prior to the World Cup break.

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Russian reports suggest Celtic want to terminate the deal but a source close to the case has told FootballTransfers that this is simply “gossip”.

It is expected that he will be up to speed for the second half of the campaign. Indeed, this was hinted at by Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou during Wednesday’s 4-0 win over Hibernian, in which the player made the bench.

Celtic have a loan deal until the end of the season for the midfield enforcer, with an option to buy, though there has been little evidence thus far that this will be taken up.

Abildgaard's deal with Rubin Kazan, meanwhile, expires at the end of June 2024, and while there is open dialogue between Celtic and the Russian side, there is no suggestion that he will be leaving Glasgow before the close of the January transfer window.

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Celtic eye Angers star Salama

Celtic have sent scouts to watch Angers striker Amine Salama on multiple occasions and see him as a viable future transfer option, FootballTransfers can reveal.

Sources in France, however, suggest that a deal for the 22-year-old will be difficult to complete during January for multiple reasons.

Firstly, Angers are in a relegation battle and have limited offensive options, while they are presently without a manager following the departure of Gerald Baticle.

Furthermore, the emergence of World Cup stars Azzedine Ounahi and Sofiane Boufal has aided Angers’ position as they believe that they will be able to sell both for more than they had previously budgeted, easing the financial pressure on the club.

Salama, then, is unlikely to move to Celtic imminently but it is expected the Scottish club will keep tabs on the player going ahead.