Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is in the market to add reinforcements to his playing squad before the January transfer window officially slams shut at the start of next month.
The Northern Irish head coach has led his team to be 15 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table and his side have already won the League Cup, beating Rangers on penalties at Hampden Park last month.
However, the former Liverpool and Leicester City boss still wants to continue to improve the team and is making moves to add more quality to the group.
Rodgers looks set to have to wait until the end of the season to welcome one of his targets to the club, though, as Celtic are reportedly close to agreeing a pre-contract deal with Kieran Tierney, which would see the Scotland international return for a second spell at Parkhead.
The left-back’s contract with Premier League giants Arsenal is due to expire in the summer and the Hoops are poised to snap him up on a free transfer ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
As well as strengthening the defence, Rodgers is also in the market to add to his attacking options and that could be of concern to Hyun-jun Yang, who has struggled at times this season.
Hyun-jun Yang's form for Celtic this season
The 22-year-old forward enjoyed one of his brightest performances of the 2024/25 campaign on Saturday in the 4-1 win over Ross County away from home, starting on the left flank.
He won nine of his 14 duels, created three chances for his teammates, and won the penalty that Arne Engels eventually scored from, across 90 minutes on the pitch.
There were plenty of promising signs from the South Korean winger but it was yet another match that passed him by without a goal or an assist to show for his efforts, albeit some may argue that winning a penalty should constitute an assist.
The Hoops attacker has now failed to find the back of the net or register any assists in any of his 12 appearances in the Premiership this season for the club, despite starting six of those matches.
Rodgers, as shown by Yang being a starter on six occasions in the division, has provided the 2023 summer signing with plenty of opportunities to shine at the top end of the pitch, but has not got much back in the way of quality in the final third.
Appearances
24
Goals
1
Big chances missed
3
Big chances created
5
Assists
3
As you can see in the table above, the South Korean youth international also struggled to produce consistent quality for Celtic in the Premiership last season, with four goal contributions in 24 matches.
This means that Yang has only scored one goal in 36 league games for the Scottish giants to date, which illustrates his lack of impact since his move to the club ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Rodgers and Celtic could, now, finally move on from the underperforming flop by swooping to sign one of their reported transfer targets in his position this month.
Celtic's interest in wing wizard
It was recently reported by Italian outlet Il Messaggero, as relayed by Sport Witness, that Celtic are interested in a deal to sign Lazio winger Gustaf Isaksen ahead of the second half of the season.
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The outlet claimed that Rodgers and Celtic are looking to swoop in to secure a deal for the Danish maestro in the January transfer window, after they failed to land him in the summer.
It revealed that Serie A side Bologna are also eyeing up a move for the 23-year-old star and this means that the Premiership champions may have to move swiftly to win the race for his services.
Isaksen is said to be valued at around £12.5m by Lazio, who are prepared to listen to offers for the forward, albeit they would prefer a summer transfer, and that would make him a club-record buy for Celtic.
The Hoops initially smashed their transfer record in the summer with an £11m deal to bring Arne Engels to Parkhead from German side Augsburg, which means that a £12.5m swoop for the Lazio ace would make him the most expensive signing in club history.
What signing Isaksen could mean for Yang
If Rodgers and Celtic decide to go through with a deal for Isaksen then that could be bad news for Yang and his prospects of playing regular minutes for the team moving forward.
He has started six times in the league so far this term and the likes of Nicolas Kuhn and Daizen Maeda have both been ahead of him in the pecking order, as well as James Forrest before his current injury lay-off.
The arrival of another high-quality forward option in those areas would, therefore, send Yang further down the pecking order and potentially force him to consider his short-term future at Parkhead.
Isaksen has produced six goals and seven assists in 62 matches for Lazio to date, which is not an outstanding return, but his form for FC Midtjylland in his home country suggests that the potential is there for him to offer far more at the top end of the pitch.
Appearances
32
Goals
18
Big chances missed
4
Key passes per game
1.7
Assists
5
As you can see in the table above, the left-footed right winger provided a regular goal threat in his last season in the Danish top-flight before his move to Italy in the summer of 2023.
Isaksen, who was once described as a “flamboyant” player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is a player who could come in with the potential to carry a huge threat in front of goal for Celtic, if Rodgers can help him to rediscover his best form.
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Yang, meanwhile, has been less-than-impressive as a goalscorer for the Hoops and signing Isaksen in a club-record swoop would allow the club to finally move on from the winger, who has yet to prove that he has what it takes to be a regular starter for the Bhoys moving forward.