Celtic’s interest in prolific Chivas striker Armando Gonzalez has been clarified amid reports that the Parkhead club are battling Barcelona and West Ham for his signature.

Article continues under the videoMartin O’Neill’s return for a second interim spell is turning sour, with the Hoops experiencing successive defeats. After being dominated by Stuttgart in the Europa League, Celtic suffered a 2-1 loss to Hibs that left them six points behind league leaders Hearts.

There are problems on both ends of the pitch. January attacking reinforcements Tomas Cvancara, Junior Adamu and Joel Mvuka have yet to consistently produce the goods, with the latter yet to even get game time in the Premiership.

Celtic are crying out for a prolific centre-forward. Unsurprisingly, then, the Glasgow giants are being linked with strikers they could bring in in the summer transfer window.

One name that recently emerged is Armando Gonzalez, a 22-year-old Mexico international who has been tearing up Liga MX this season with 17 goals across 24 appearances in the Apertura and Clausura.

Gonzalez to Celtic: The state of play

Reports in Mexico claimed a couple of days ago that Celtic were battling the likes of Barcelona, West Ham and others for the striker’s signature, although it was acknowledged that nothing concrete had yet materialised.

The only genuine offer Gonzalez’s club, Chivas, have thus far received came from Russia, where the transfer window was still open until last week. CSKA Moscow reportedly made a €17 million proposal for the Mexican as they sought to sign a marquee forward, having also lodged a €30m bid for Levante’s Karl Etta Eyong.

However, like Etta Eyong, Gonzalez turned down the chance to move to Moscow. He felt that staying at Chivas would give him a better chance of making Mexico’s squad for the upcoming World Cup on home soil.

TUDN has now provided an update on the situation. The outlet reports that the supposed interest from Celtic, Barcelona and West Ham is tentative at best at this stage. In fact, the only club showing a concrete interest and frequently monitoring Gonzalez are Eredivisie giants Feyenoord.

The Rotterdam club’s recruitment is handled by Dennis te Kloese, who is intimately familiar with the Mexican market, having previously worked for Chivas, Tigres and the national team. While the other potential suitors, like Celtic, may be interested in Gonzalez, they have yet to make contact with the Guadalajara giants.

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