Celtic may have kicked off their Scottish Premiership campaign this afternoon, but one of their star men from last season remains absent from the squad as the club have so far failed to wrap up a deal to sign Adam Idah on a permanent basis.
The Ireland striker was a huge hit in Glasgow after signing on loan back in January, scoring a number of big goals as the Hoops secured a league and cup double. It was thought that Celtic would make the deal a permanent one this summer, although negotiations with parent club Norwich City have yet to bear fruit.
It has been suggested that the Championship side will seek a fee of £8million to sanction Idah's sale, twice the amount of Celtic's opening bid. The player himself is keen to return to Parkhead, even showing up late for pre-season duties as he agitated for a move.
He would return to action for Norwich yesterday, although he was not given the warmest of greetings at Carrow Road.
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Adam Idah Given Frosty Reception By Norwich Fans Amid Celtic Rumours
Nowrich City faced St Pauli in a friendly yesterday afternoon, losing 3-1 at Carrow Road. Adam Idah would come off the bench in the 67th minute of the game, although he was not exactly given the warmest of welcomes by the home support.
Football Scotland are reporting that the striker's introduction was greeted by boos from Norwich fans, pointing towards their feelings on his desire to leave the club and move to Celtic.
Idah reported late for the club's pre-season trip to Austria, with Norwich boss Johannes Hoff Thorup hinting after yesterday's game that the interest from Scotland played a role in the player's tardiness.
He is definitely part of my plans. He had a good camp in Austria. He came back into the group, of course it took some meetings to make it clear what we expect stepping into the start of the season and the rest of the transfer window.
It looks like he's ready to do whatever it takes, accepting his role but also accepting that he was not part of the team in Hoffenheim. That's how it is. We should expect sometimes that players step a little bit out of what we can expect.
It's important that we show that's not acceptable but it's also important that we show when time is gone, then they can get back into the group again and that's where Adam is.
It has been suggested that Celtic will continue to pursue the player over the remainder of the transfer window, although they will likely need to significantly increase their bid in order to get a deal over the line.
It will be interesting to see how things play out over the coming weeks.
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