Celtic former player Mohamed Elyounoussi would 'love a return' to Parkhead this summer and will be on Brendan Rodgers' 'radar' as he looks to strengthen his squad, according to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph.
What's the latest transfer news involving Mohamed Elyounoussi?
As per BBC Sport, Elyounoussi left Southampton alongside Theo Walcott when their contracts expired at the end of June following the Saints' relegation from the Premier League.
Now a free agent, the 28-year-old refused to rule out a return to former club Celtic last month in an interview with Viaplay Sports via The Daily Record before Norway took on Scotland in EURO 2024 qualifying, stating when he was asked if he would consider moving back to Celtic: "We'll see. I enjoyed my time there. I didn't get much time to play with the fans; it was mostly without fans. I enjoyed my time there and you never know."
According to one report in Spain, La Liga side Celta Vigo are keen on landing Elyounoussi this summer as Rafael Benitez looks to add to his new side; however, the Norway international is also believed to have interest in his services from clubs in the United Kingdom.
Last term, Elyounoussi struggled to make an impact on the South Coast, registering just one goal and two assists in 38 appearances for Southampton, as per Transfermarkt.
WhoScored show that Elyounoussi still carried a notable goal threat in 2022/23, averaging around 1.1 shots per match in the Premier League.
Celtic are on the lookout for a new winger after Portuguese wide man Jota completed a £25 million move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad earlier this week; nevertheless, Elyounoussi pocketed around £60k-a-week on the books of Southampton, which likely means any approach to try and convince the former Celt to return to the club would involve significant wage expenditure on their part.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Sky Sports reporter Joseph suggested that free agent Elyounoussi would 'love' to return to Celtic this summer.
Joseph said: "He'll be on Celtic's radar. I'm sure he'd love a return to Celtic as well. They could do worse than signing Elyounoussi again.
"He's probably more of a Brendan Rodgers-type player than a Ange Postecoglou player. He's got great technical ability and is quite a tricky player. But he's one of those wingers that likes to cut in and create rather than being a direct winger."
Should Celtic look to bring Mohamed Elyounoussi back to Parkhead?
Celtic fans will likely have mixed emotions over the notion of Elyounoussi returning to the scene of some of his former glories. On the one hand, the 28-year-old enjoyed some successful times during his two-year spell in Glasgow, helping his former club to win the Scottish Premiership title coupled with Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup trophies.
However, he didn't have the greatest of seasons at Southampton, with him even being called a "problem".
And, bringing ex-players back into the fold doesn't always work as well the second time around. Taking into account his entire time spent at Celtic, Elyounoussi made 67 appearances for the Hoops, notching 24 goals and 14 assists over the course, as per Transfermarkt.
In 2021, Celtic assistant manager John Kennedy gave some high praise to Elyounoussi when he was in caretaker charge at Parkhead, as per The Scottish Sun, stating: “Moi’s character and his levels, in terms of training, he’s first class in everything he does. He’s one of the best professionals I’ve worked with."
Of course, Celtic could do much worse than turning to someone with a proven track record of racking up impressive numbers to bolster their squad under Rodgers, though it remains to be seen if a deal is indeed on the cards at Parkhead.
