Celtic have just over two months left to complete the business they want to do in the summer transfer window, which opened just over a week ago.
The Hoops are coming off the back of a domestic double in the 2023/24 campaign under Brendan Rodgers, who returned for a second spell at Parkhead last summer.
A Scottish Premiership title and the SFA Cup last month ensured that the Bhoys collected some silverware, after they had been knocked out of the League Cup and the Champions League during the first half of the season.
The Northern Irish head coach could be forced to make changes to his forward department in the summer window, with players moving away and possibly coming in.
Belgian giants Genk have been linked with a swoop for South Korea international Hyeon-gyu Oh and are said to have tabled a bid of around £4m for his services.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether or not Adam Idah will join on a permanent basis from Norwich City after his initial loan, with new Canaries boss Johannes Hoff Thorup wanting to look at him in pre-season before making a decision.
Celtic's interest in SPFL centre-forward
The Athletic recently reported that the Hoops are one of a number of clubs interested in a possible deal to sign centre-forward Theo Bair from Motherwell this summer.
It was stated that both Old Firm teams – Celtic and Rangers – are eyeing up the Canada international after his exploits in the Premiership last season.
The outlet added that a host of German sides are also keen on the SPFL marksman, which shows that there will be plenty of competition to land his signature over the coming weeks.
It remains to be seen whether or not Motherwell are prepared to cash in on their star striker, or how much they would be willing to sell him for if they were.
Meanwhile, Norwich are said to be looking for a fee of at least £6m for Idah amid Celtic's interest in bringing him back to Parkhead on a permanent basis.
However, as aforementioned, the English Championship side are set to take a look at him in pre-season so that their new manager can judge whether or not the Ireland international will be a part of his plans moving forward at Carrow Road.
Rodgers could now forget all about a swoop for the 6 foot 3 dynamo by winning the race to sign Bair from Motherwell ahead of Rangers and the German teams keen on him.
Adam Idah's loan spell with Celtic
The Irish attacker arrived at Paradise on loan from Norwich in the winter window earlier this year and hit the ground running as an impressive goalscorer.
Kyogo Furuhashi endured a difficult season in front of goal as the Japan international spurned a staggering 24 'big chances' and only scored 14 times in 38 league appearances.
That meant that the Hoops needed another player to step up and provide the firepower needed to get them over the line in the Premiership and that is what Idah did during the second half of the campaign with eight goals in 15 outings.
Appearances
15
Starts
5
Goals
8
Big chances missed
7
Assists
2
As you can see in the table above, the Canaries academy graduate stepped up with a much-needed goalscoring burst without even starting games on a regular basis.
However, Rodgers and his staff need to judge whether it was a flash in the pan or a sign of things to come from the 23-year-old attacker, who had previously struggled to score goals on a consistent basis.
Idah only scored 17 goals in 115 appearances in all competitions for Norwich after breaking through from the academy, and never managed more than six goals in a single league campaign for them.
The risk for Celtic is that they pay £6m, or more, to acquire his services and his form reverts back to what it was in Norfolk instead of carrying on from where he left off at Parkhead.
A similar issue is also there with Bair, who is coming off the back of the best season in his career to date, but the Motherwell man has proven his quality over the course of a full season as a starter, whereas Idah was predominantly on the bench for Celtic.
Why Celtic should sign Theo Bair
The Canada international, who is currently competing at the Copa America with his country, was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year for the 2023/24 campaign, thanks to his fantastic performances on the pitch.
Fascinatingly, the 24-year-old ace joined Motherwell from Premiership rivals St. Johnstone last summer after a dismal return of one goal in 27 league games.
Perhaps he needed that first year of Scottish football to adapt to the league as his form in his second term proved to be the polar opposite of his initial struggles, which could also be put down to a change in environment.
Bair started 31 of his team's 38 Premiership matches last season and caught the eye with 15 strikes, which earned him a place in the Team of the Year, and this shows that he can provide a consistent goal threat whilst starting week-in-week-out.
Appearances
38
38
Goals
15
14
Big chances missed
11
24
Conversion rate
21%
14%
Aerial duel success rate
41%
26%
As you can see in the table above, the Canadian dynamo also significantly outperformed Kyogo in terms of his quality as a goalscorer in the division.
Bair, who also recorded six assists for his teammates to go along with his goal threat, missed 13 fewer 'big chances' whilst scoring one more goal than the Celtic forward.
Now, imagine how many goals the young marksman, who manager Stewart Kettlewell described as "unplayable at times", could score if he had the high-quality chances that Kyogo had created for him in a Hoops shirt.
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He could emerge as a superb scoring option for the Bhoys and an upgrade on the wasteful Japanese striker, which would then allow Rodgers to forget all about signing Idah on a permanent deal from Norwich.