Celtic will be in the market to add to their options in the wide department after Nicolas Kuhn officially completed a permanent transfer to Como for a reported fee of £16.5m.
The German forward racked up 13 goals and nine assists from the right flank in the Scottish Premiership last season, which shows the kind of quality that Brendan Rodgers has lost.
ðŸ—£ï¸ â€œThat is absolutely ð—–ð—Ÿð—œð—¡ð—œð—–ð—”ð—Ÿâ€ Nicolas Kuhn quickly doubles Celtic’s lead with a thunderous strike 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uEt6uPKY2i — Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) November 23, 2024
On top of that, Portuguese winger Jota may be out until January or February with a knee injury that was sustained against Dundee United back in May.
This means that the Hoops are short out wide, even with the addition of Benjamin Nygren this summer, which is why they are reportedly keen on adding another winger to their squad.
Celtic place star at the top of their wishlist
The Scottish Premiership champions are looking to dip into a rarely-utilised market, for them, as they plot to repeat the masterclass they played with Victor Wanyama by signing another star from the Belgian Pro League.
According to the Daily Record, Royal Antwerp forward Michel-Ange Balikwisha is at the very top of their wishlist to replace Kuhn during the summer window.
The report adds that the Belgian winger is out of contract at the end of next season and that Antwerp sporting director Marc Overmars has opened the door to sales for players in that situation.
It has previously been claimed that the Hoops have been in talks with the Pro League side to discuss a deal for £5m-rated attacker, and this latest update now suggests that he is a priority target for the Scottish giants.
Why Balikwisha could be a Wanyama repeat
As per the Daily Record, Rami Gershon from Standard Liege in 2013 was the last player the club signed from the Pro League, whilst the last notable signing was the deal to bring Wanyama to Parkhead from Beerschot in 2011.
The Kenya international went on to score 13 goals in 91 appearances for Celtic in all competitions as a central midfielder, before Southampton signed him for a reported fee of £12.5m in the summer of 2013.
Balikwisha could be the first player to become a star at Parkhead after moving from the Pro League since Wanyama made that successful transition between 2011 and 2013, based on his form for Antwerp over the past two seasons.
The 24-year-old forward, who was described as a “creative” talent by analyst Will Glavin, racked up 14 goals and nine assists in 59 games in all competitions between the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns combined.
| Balikwisha (Pro League) | 23/24 | 24/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Starts | 27 | 12 |
| xG | 6.46 | 2.65 |
| Goals | 7 | 4 |
| Big chances created | 6 | 7 |
| Key passes per game | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Assists | 5 | 3 |
| Stats via Sofascore | ||
As you can see in the table above, Balikwisha has delivered 11 goals and eight assists in his last 39 games in the Pro League, outperforming his xG as a finisher in both of those seasons.
These statistics show that he is an efficient finisher who could thrive in a dominant Celtic team, which has won the Premiership in each of the last four years, that creates plenty of chances for him from the wing.
His creative numbers, with at least 1.5 key passes per game, also show that he has the potential to create opportunities for his teammates on a regular basis on the flank, if the youngster can translate his form from Belgium over to Scotland, as Wanyama did over a decade ago.
It is fair to say that Celtic hit the jackpot when they signed Wanyama, who was a key player on the pitch and made the club a fortune, and Balikwisha appears to have the qualities to follow in his footsteps next season.
Therefore, the Belgian whiz could be a shrewd addition from a market the club rarely looks to explore if they can wrap up a deal for him this summer.