Celtic 'still have chance' of landing £4m striker this month as club await improved offer

Celtic are still firmly in the running to sign forward Mathias Kvistgaarden this month - but the Scottish champions have yet to approach Danish club Brondby with an improved offer.

Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers is searching for a new striker in January, with Kyogo Furuhashi being the only recognised No.9 left at the club after understudy Oh Hyeon-gyu joined up with South Korea for the Asian Cup on Monday.

And Danish under-21 international Kvistgaarden - under contract until 2027 - has already been on the club's transfer shortlist after previously displaying interest in the player in the summer when a reported £4million bid was knocked back.

Brondby director of football Carsten V. Jensen explained after the summer window that the club would have to be "blown away" by any offers for the prolific marksman, who has netted seven goals and provided seven assists so far this term. Football Scotland claim that Celtic has informed Brondby of their intention to table an improved bid and accelerate a possible move as other European clubs began to circle with German outlet TZ reporting that Bundesliga 2. side Schalke had watched the 21-year-old on 'numerous' occasions but that they would struggle to afford the fee expectations quoted to clinch his signature.

Belgian outfit Cercle Brugge are another club who are said to have made contact about Kvistgaarden as they look for a proven goal scorer. Brondby's first-team squad are set to return to training next week following their winter break.

Rodgers previously admitted that "one or two" new arrivals are likely this month. He said: "The players will get a little bit of time - they need that. They’ll have a break to maybe spend a wee bit of time with their families. They’ll have some work they need to do while they’re away but it’s a good chance to reset before going again.

"We have a spell without any games before we play in the Scottish Cup. So we can do a lot of work in that period. We’ll hopefully have some of the injured players back and maybe one or two in the door. Then we push on for the second half of the season. There will be no winter break next season and that’s a real shame."